Gone are the days of being a national afterthought for the Denver Broncos.
Now that Russell Wilson is in town, the Broncos are going to regain their glory as one of the most popular teams in the National Football League. And, we’re going to see the Broncos on a lot more national broadcasts again, too.
And on the whole, the AFC West’s arms race has been good news for the NFL schedule-makers. That’s because every team plays one another twice, for 12 total games in the toughest division in the league.
Let’s quickly recap.
The Raiders traded for Davante Adams, maybe the best receiver in the NFL, and they signed Chandler Jones to be a pass-rushing threat opposite of Maxx Crosby. The Chargers traded for Khalil Mack to team up with Joey Bosa as they may now have the best pass-rushing duo in the AFC West. And the Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster as well as Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but they also lost their x-factor in Tyreek Hill, opening the door for any of the other three to take the West crown this year.
Meanwhile, the Broncos made the biggest move in football, trading for Russell Wilson, an elite quarterback with Super Bowl winning experience. They also signed Randy Gregory as a star on the edge, D.J. Jones as a run-stuffer inside, K’Waun Williams as the slot corner, J.R. Reed at safety and Billy Turner at right tackle, among other valuable depth pieces.
“It’s awesome,” Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said of the AFC West this weekend, per Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com. “This is one of the coolest divisions I’ve ever seen. … This is one of those divisions that is hopefully going to go down in history as one of the best divisions in football.”
But, beyond the AFC West ramping up their talents, the NFL schedule-makers got another gift this year because they face the NFC West, which Peter King calls a “slightly less strong” division compared to the AFC West.
“I think there’s something else to consider: The league schedule-makers benefit from a strong AFC West and a slightly less strong NFC West this year,” King explained. “The Rams play the AFC West this year, with the Broncos and Raiders at home. So the league could put Russell Wilson’s first game as a Bronco in the season-opener, or Davante Adams’ first game with the suddenly explosive Raiders, or an NFC Championship Game rematch with the Niners…if it decides to hold onto the Dallas and Buffalo games.
“My guess: Denver at L.A. in game one of 272. Emphasis on ‘guess,'” King finished.
What better stage to put Wilson on display with his new team than against Matt Stafford, who’s overcome a lot to finally win a Super Bowl, and the champion Rams?
In fact, 10 years ago in Peyton Manning’s first season with the Broncos, Denver played on Sunday Night Football for the Sheriff’s first game with the team, and then followed it up with a Monday Night game the next week.
This far out, we don’t know for sure what the Broncos’ first game will be or where. But the season-kickoff against the Rams seems like a solid bet.
We do know who they will play, though. At home, Denver hosts: The Cardinals, Texans, Colts, Jets, Niners, Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders.
On the road, Denver faces: The Panthers, Jaguars, Rams, Seahawks, Titans, Ravens, Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders.