Denver, CO
Broncos 2024 schedule predictions: Will Russell Wilson’s return serve as kickoff to Sean Payton’s second season in Denver?
Which quarterback is going to start for the Broncos come Week 1? This week, a different question: Which quarterback will Sean Payton’s team be facing in Week 1?
Could it be Russell Wilson? Patrick Mahomes? Justin Herbert or Aaron Rodgers?
They’re all on the docket for Denver this fall and we should find out soon in what order Denver will face them.
The past couple of years, the NFL has announced its full slate the second Thursday of May (this year, that’s May 9). But as of Monday afternoon, the league hasn’t actually announced its plans.
Still, it’s coming. Probably soon. And that means the moment has again arrived for a time-honored Denver Post tradition: Predicting the Broncos’ schedule.
There’s not many clues so far. We know Denver’s not playing an international game. They’re unlikely to play Thanksgiving Day since it would have to be the primetime slot — Detroit and Dallas host the other two games that day and the Broncos don’t play either.
A new NFL wrinkle this winter: A pair of Christmas Day games despite the holiday falling on a Wednesday. If Denver gets one of those, it will be playing the Saturday before.
Without further ado, here are the dueling scheduling predictions from Broncos beat reporters Parker Gabriel and Ryan McFadden. To the winner: Eternal glory.
McFadden’s projection
Week 1: Indianapolis Colts
Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 3: at New York Jets
Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday Night Football)
Out of all the games on Denver’s schedule, its matchup against Pittsburgh is one of the few that warrants the spotlight. Less than a year after getting let go from the Broncos, Russell Wilson comes back to the Mile High City with the opportunity to get revenge on head coach Sean Payton, who benched him near the end of the 2023 campaign.
Week 5: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 6: Bye
Week 7: Carolina Panthers
This might be the least intriguing matchup on Denver’s schedule. Still, this will be an opportunity for the Broncos to build some momentum coming out of the bye week.
Week 8: at New Orleans Saints
Payton will return to New Orleans, where he won a Super Bowl and built one of the league’s most prolific offenses, for the first time as Denver’s head coach. Given the state of both organizations, it’s hard to see this matchup getting a prime time slot. But this will still be a big moment for Payton and the Saints’ fanbase.
Week 9: Las Vegas Raiders
Week 10: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 12: Cleveland Browns
Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals (Thursday Night Football)
Nix vs. Joe Burrow. Pat Surtain II vs. Ja’Marr Chase. If Nix is indeed the quarterback Payton envisioned him to be, this game warrants a prime time slot.
Week 14: Atlanta Falcons
Week 15: L.A. Chargers
Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 17: at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 18: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The only implications this game might have will be the Chiefs trying to secure the first seed in the AFC playoff race — and the Broncos’ draft slot, of course.
Gabriel’s projection
Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday Night Football)
The Broncos aren’t likely to be a big primetime draw this fall given the mild expectations, but Russell Wilson’s return will do the trick. Note to the NFL schedule-makers: This one should be early in the season or it could end up being Justin Fields vs. the Broncos.
Week 2: at L.A. Chargers
Week 3: Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: at New Orleans
Maybe you’ve heard: Payton used to coach the Saints. His return to the Bayou will be quite a spectacle, especially if he’s waltzing in with a rookie quarterback as his starter and, essentially, the key to his second act in the NFL.
Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs
Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 7: at New York Jets
The Broncos have four games in the Eastern time zone this fall. If Denver gets two of them in back-to-back weeks, look for the franchise to make arrangements to set up shop somewhere out there — a week at the Greenbriar in West Virginia, anyone? — rather than trek back to Denver in between.
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: Atlanta Falcons
Week 10: at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 11: Carolina Panthers (Thursday Night Football)
Week 12: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 13: at Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos ended the losing streak against Patrick Mahomes and Co. last fall in Denver. Notching a win at Arrowhead in December would be another matter entirely.
Week 14: Cleveland Browns
Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 16: Las Vegas Raiders
This is the week that would be a Saturday game if the Broncos were going to get put on the Wednesday, Christmas Day extravaganza. Let’s not.
Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Probably manifesting too hard here by avoiding Christmas Day and slotting the trip to Florida for late December, but hey, this is my projection. I’m not asking for that much.
Week 18: L.A. Chargers
Last year the Broncos bookended the season with the Raiders. This year we project a different divisional opponent. Soon enough, we’ll know what the actual scheduling overlords have in store.
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Denver, CO
Tempers flare during another tightly contested matchup between Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder
The University of Denver will close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children next year as enrollment has fallen in recent years, the college announced this week.
The Ricks Center, which serves gifted children as young as 3 years old, will operate for the 2026-27 academic year before closing, according to a letter DU sent parents on Wednesday.
“The University of Denver has made the difficult decision to close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children at the conclusion of the 2026–2027 academic year,” spokesman Jon Stone said in a statement. “This decision reflects long-term operational and financial considerations and is not a reflection of the school’s quality, leadership, or community.”
The center, which is located on DU’s campus, was started in 1984 as the University Center for Gifted Young Children. The program offers classes to students in preschool through eighth grade, according to the website.
The program, along with other public K-12 schools in the state, has experienced declining enrollment in recent years. The center enrolled 142 students for the 2025-26 academic year, which is down from 200 pupils four years ago.
The center will hold a meeting about the pending closure on March 6 for parents.
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David Fountaine Black
OBITUARY
Dave and Martha and their three boys moved to Denver in 1974 when Dave started work at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. He and a business partner later purchased Mid-America Plating Company. Dave operated Mid-America for 36 years and finally retired in 2018.
He was a great golfer and natural athlete. Dave was an avid runner, and for many years, he woke up before the sun to get his miles in before work. He and Martha loved playing bridge with friends, gardening – growing fruit and flowers – and spending time outside relaxing and walking on the High Line Canal Trail and in Bible Park. Dave and Martha enjoyed getting back to Arizona during the winter at their Tucson home. They loved spending time with their family.
Dave passed away on February 20, 2026. He is loved by family and friends and will be missed. Dave was a hard-working, kind, optimistic, and thoughtful person who leaves the world a better place. He is survived by his wife, Martha, and his three sons, Dave (Robin), Tom (Debbie), Eric (Kendra), as well as six grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Casey (Nicole), Jake (Ashleigh and great granddaughter Faye), Hailey (Robby and great granddaughter Jensen), Keenan (Nicole and great granddaughter Olivia), Griffin, and Addie (Erik).
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