The NFL handed the Denver Broncos a gauntlet to open the 2026 regular season. With road games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers, plus home stands against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks, it’s the toughest first six games I’ve seen the Broncos draw since I began covering the team in 2012.

The first six weeks are so tough that FOX Sports radio host Colin Cowherd couldn’t help but draw the conclusion that the NFL is “punishing” the Broncos. But let’s set that particular conspiracy theory aside for the time being.

What’s important to remember is that the Broncos earned this first-place schedule. How this team achieved last year suggests it is ready to bow up for the challenge that this first six-week stretch presents.

But how has the schedule release impacted the NFL power rankings? When it comes to FOX Sports, the Broncos have jumped one spot to land at No. 1 in its post-schedule release 2026 NFL power rankings.

“Their first six games are just terrible. But assuming they survive that, there is a real soft middle of the schedule that could put them on a real run from Weeks 7 to 15. That should be enough for the class of the AFC, and a team that is motivated by the knowledge they should’ve been in the Super Bowl last year,” Ralph Vacchiano wrote.

The Middle

Vacchiano is right. Even if the Broncos emerge from that first six-week stretch at 3-3 or even 2-4, they’d still be set up for a great opportunity to have all their goals on the table by the time they hit Week 16 when things stiffen up again. If the Broncos emerge at 4-2 or better, watch out, NFL.

From Week 9 through Week 15, the Broncos face the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets on the road, the Las Vegas Raiders twice, and the Miami Dolphins. There is one eyebrow-raiser in Week 12’s Black Friday throwdown on the road vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, which became infinitely more interesting with Aaron Rodgers officially returning for his 22nd NFL season, but the Broncos match up well with them.

The Broncos’ bye also comes during this stretch, in Week 10. The NFL placed Denver’s bye as close to the middle of the 17-game schedule as possible. The Chiefs and Chargers have their respective byes before Week 8.

The Final Gauntlet

In Week 16, the Broncos host the Buffalo Bills on Christmas Day, a rematch of the divisional round of the playoffs from this past January. Then the Broncos go on the road to take on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots, before coming home to face Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers to close the season.

The Broncos probably aren’t going to win 14 games again this season. Campaigns of that magnitude are few and far between in Broncos history. Only the 1998 and 2025 Broncos have ever won that many games in a season.

However, the Broncos probably don’t need 14 wins to repeat as AFC West champions. The AFC West drew the AFC East and the NFC West this season, two divisions that produced five playoff teams last year.

The Broncos have to face them all, but so do the Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders, which levels the playing field somewhat. The Chargers also have to play the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans (ouch), while the Chiefs have to play the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kansas City also draws the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, who, on paper, don’t seem all that threatening sitting here in May, but both could be a force to be reckoned with in 2026.

The Takeaway

Despite the initial shock of how the schedule rolled out, these FOX Sports power rankings reflect how the Broncos are perceived overall around the NFL. Not every publication will have Denver at No. 1, but this team is viewed as top five across the board.

That’s a far cry from the doldrums the Broncos were in for eight years before Sean Payton arrived. Even though the Broncos have a tough row to hoe this season, it’s a schedule they earned, and that qualification should make them equal to the opportunity against every one of these tier-one opponents on the schedule.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow