Broncos 2012 Schedule: Denver Reportedly To Open Year vs. Steelers or Patriots

Peyton Manning's first game as a Denver Bronco will be a big one, as the team will open the 2012 season against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots.

According to the Denver Post via the Steelers Digest on Twitter:

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Denver Post reports Steelers at Broncos or Broncos at Patriots could be the Sunday nite game on the NFL's opening weekend of 2012.

— Steelers Digest (@SteelersDigest) March 27, 2012"

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Talk about a way to open up the new season after not only having sat out the previous season, but also beginning with the new franchise.

As well, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Broncos president Joe Ellis stated, "Our fans should get ready for more night games. Home and road."

So, if you are a Denver fan that has trouble getting the Broncos on TV, it appears that the 2012 season will be a grand ole time. As for the Broncos opening against Pittsburgh or New England, let's break down each game.

Broncos vs. Steelers

For one, it's an immediate rematch of the AFC Wild Card game in Denver last season. Therefore, you can bet the Steelers will be anxious to get some revenge on the Broncos, especially with Peyton Manning under center.

To that end, what we have here is also the franchise in Pittsburgh that bested Manning in the 2005-06 AFC Divisional Round, so there's a little rivalry between Manning, Denver and Pittsburgh as we prepare for the 2012 season.

Last year, Pittsburgh finished with the NFL's No. 1 overall defense (allowed just 271.8 yards per game) and No. 1 against the pass (allowed 171.9 pass yards per game).

With Troy Polamalu patrolling the secondary and guys like James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley rushing off the edge, another chess match is in the works. We know Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will be prepared, as will Manning.

Provided that Denver can establish a running game to set up play-action, Manning will be fine in the pocket. It's how Pittsburgh defends a non-scrambling quarterback that will be interesting to watch.

Defensively, the Broncos must do what they did in the playoff game, and that's simply get pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. With five sacks and six quarterback hits in the postseason meeting, expect the Orange Crush to bring the pain once again.

The Steelers must use an array of quick passes and screens to isolate the Broncos pass rush; otherwise Von Miller and co. will also shut down the Pittsburgh running game.

Broncos vs. Patriots

In 2011, Tom Brady led the New England Patriots over the Denver Broncos twice and outscored the Orange Crush 86-33. Well, the Broncos now have a gunslinging quarterback at the helm who also happens to be quite accurate.

Peyton Manning may be Brady's biggest rival (debatable with Eli Manning), but now in Denver it may reach new heights. For his career, Brady is just 3-6 against the Broncos and was 1-6 heading into the 2011 season.

Now look ahead to 2012 and the Peyton-Brady, Brady-Broncos rivalry is most intriguing. As for the game, it will be a much closer contest as another chess match between Bill Belichick and Manning occurs.

The Pats still have a susceptible pass defense, as we saw in Super Bowl XLVI, and the Broncos have promising receivers. New England also must replenish its pass rush; otherwise Manning will easily dice it up.

Also, if Denver upgrades its rushing defense via the draft, New England will be facing a near complete defense. The Pats are still going to be an elite passing team, but remaining two-dimensional against the Orange Crush's front seven is key.

Therefore, it's reasonable to suspect that Denver will blitz Brady all game long. It's the best way to negate the opportunities for Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to make plays, as well as receivers Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker.

The Broncos, on the other hand, must run the rock effectively (even from a shotgun set) to beat the Pats on the outside. New England has a strong interior line but can be exploited off tackle to set up play-action bootlegs.

John Rozum on Twitter.