2012 Death Row Schedule Will Test New-Look Denver Broncos

With the release of the Broncos' schedule last night and the season still nearly five months away from starting, it's time to do the annual dissecting and analyzing of the season schedule before the NFL Draft even takes place.

Denver has the second toughest schedule in all of the NFL in 2012. The schedule features five primetime games, including four nationally televised games in the first half of the season, including games against the Steelers on opening week and the Saints a few weeks later.

To illustrate just how tough the Broncos' schedule is based upon what we saw in 2011 from the rest of the NFL, here's a stat for you—Denver does not face a team with a 2011 losing record until Week 10 at Carolina. Of their 16 opponents in 2012, just five had below .500 records in 2011.

With Peyton Manning's signing, the Broncos have been getting a lot of attention. During the short Tim Tebow era, the Broncos had plenty of attention, mainly due to Tebowmania, rather than being legitimate contenders.

2012 is a different story. The Manning-led Broncos have yet to even take the field, and yet, they already have a target on their backs. In the weak AFC, the Broncos are seen as a team with limitless potential, all depending upon Manning's health.

If Manning returns to form, it's widely agreed that Denver will be one of the teams to beat in the AFC. If he doesn't, it's widely agreed that Denver will go down along with Manning.

With the second-toughest schedule in the league, five nationally televised games, and a four-time NFL MVP who hasn't seen action in two years, the Broncos will go through the definition of hell this upcoming season.

The questions that linger in Broncos fans' heads will be answered this season.

Can Manning return to being the quarterback that he was in Indianapolis? Can he make the Broncos true Super Bowl contenders? Will Manning be enough to offset what will likely be an imperfect team that surrounds him in 2012?

Basically, can Manning be the superman that he was in Indianapolis?

Denver was a lucky team last season. They deserve a lot of credit for going from second-worst team in 2010 to a division champion with a playoff victory the following season.

There is no doubt that Denver had a lot go their way last season. They were an 8-8 team that was outscored by 81 points by their opponents. That was the worst point differential of the three 8-8 teams in the AFC West. It was also by far the worst point differential of any of the playoff teams.

They also played in the worst division in all of football. There was only one team in the AFC West—the Chargers—that had a positive point differential. They won countless games in the most miraculous of fashions.

The Broncos ranked near the bottom of the league in just about every major category that you can think of—25th in offense, 24th in defense, 25th in point differential and 26th in takeaway/giveaway differential.

This was the definition of an imperfect team in 2011. Now comes a new season. Now comes a new schedule. And finally, now comes a new quarterback.

With the Broncos having already made the majority of their impact signings for 2012, will it be enough to catapult them to the short list of AFC contenders?

No one knows the answer to that question in April. But come September, that question will be quickly answered.

And when I say quickly, that's no exaggeration.