Denver Broncos 2012 Schedule: Brutal Early Games Will Crush Playoff Hopes

The Denver Broncos face a brutal early slate of games in 2012 that will ruin any chance they have at reaching the postseason. 

Peyton Manning's first season in the Mile High City will begin with one of the most difficult eight-game stretches I can remember and will almost certainly lead to a disappointing season for the Broncos. 

Denver won the AFC West with an 8-8 record last season and as a result earned a first-place schedule. The Broncos' opponents in 2012 had a .543 winning percentage last season, which is the second highest of any NFL team. 

The team will open the season hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, then must travel to Atlanta before hosting the Houston Texans. That's three playoff teams right off the bat. 

The Broncos will host the Oakland Raiders in Week 4 before consecutive road trips to New England and San Diego. Their bye week will follow in Week 7 before they host the New Orleans Saints and travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. 

To recap, Denver will face six playoff teams from 2011 in its first eight games.

And the two non-playoff teams (San Diego and Oakland) tied the Broncos atop the AFC West at 8-8 last season. The Broncos' first eight opponents had a record of 83-45 (.648).

While adding Manning this offseason was a huge move for Denver, the team didn't add a ton of other pieces. The four-time MVP will make everyone around him better, but he can only do so much. 

In addition to that, during the first few weeks of the season, the Broncos will still be adjusting to a new system with a new quarterback under center. There is a real chance that they will get buried by those first eight games and could have trouble digging themselves out during the second half of the season. 

I have a hard time seeing a path to the playoffs for the Broncos in 2012.