2016 Denver Broncos Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Denver Broncos have the task of defending their Super Bowl title from the 2015 season this upcoming year. In quarterback Peyton Manning's final season before retirement, the Broncos rode their excellent defense, led by the unstoppable Von Miller, to a championship over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. 

Repeating as champions will be a tall task, however. The Broncos underwent a number of changes in the 2016 offseason and will have a different look this season. For starters, Manning retired, and Brock Osweiler—who started a number of games for the team while Manning was injured during the season—signed with the Houston Texans. 

Denver acquired Mark Sanchez in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles after he served as a backup quarterback there over the past two years, while the offensive line will have four new starters in left tackle Russell Okung, left guard Max Garcia, right guard Ty Sambrailo and right tackle Donald Stephenson.

The Broncos also released tight end Owen Daniels, though they have high hopes for second-year man Jeff Heuerman, and matched the offer sheet the Miami Dolphins gave to running back C.J. Anderson.

The defensive side of the ball saw turnover as well. While it slapped the franchise tag on Miller, the team lost defensive end Malik Jackson, linebacker Danny Trevathan and safety and special teams standout David Bruton.

The core of the team that won the Super Bowl remains in place, however. Miller and DeMarcus Ware—who restructured his contract to return—will provide the pass rush, while Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib lead one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

On offense, the team will lean heavily on the running game—the norm for an offense by head coach Gary Kubiak—though Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders give Denver an excellent pair of wideouts. But much like in 2015, the Broncos will go as far as the defense can take them in 2016.

Schedule

Here is a look at the Broncos' 2016 schedule:

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sept. 8	vs. Panthers	8:30 p.m.	NBC
2	Sept. 18	vs. Colts	4:25 p.m.	CBS
3	Sept. 25	at Bengals	1 p.m.	CBS
4	Oct. 2	at Buccaneers	4:05 p.m.	CBS
5	Oct. 9	vs. Falcons	4:05 p.m.	Fox
6	Oct. 13	at Chargers	8:25 p.m.	CBS
7	Oct. 24	vs. Texans	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
8	Oct. 30	vs. Chargers	4:05 p.m.	CBS
9	Nov. 6	at Raiders	8:30 p.m.	NBC
10	Nov. 13	at Saints	1 p.m.	CBS
11	BYE
12	Nov. 27	vs. Chiefs	4:25 p.m.	CBS
13	Dec. 4	at Jaguars	1 p.m.	CBS
14	Dec. 11	at Titans	1 p.m.	CBS
15	Dec. 18	vs. Patriots	4:25 p.m.	CBS
16	Dec. 25	at Chiefs	8:30 p.m.	NBC
17	Jan. 1	vs. Raiders	4:25 p.m.	CBS

Analysis

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

The Broncos don't have an easy schedule, but the bulk of the difficult matchups are at home. The New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Panthers will all travel to Denver.

The Patriots, Texans and Panthers were all divisional winners last year—and the Panthers reached the Super Bowl, of course—while the Colts will surely be improved with a healthy Andrew Luck back under center. And Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the Falcons are always dangerous.

The away slate is a bit more forgiving, with the toughest matchup coming against the Cincinnati Bengals. The New Orleans Saints are always tough to beat at home with Drew Brees under center, though facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are softer matchups.

The home and away matchups with the team's divisional opponents—the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders—will surely be tough tests as well. The Chiefs were excellent last season and reached the postseason, while quarterback Philip Rivers and San Diego always present the Broncos with problems.

And then there are the Raiders, quietly one of the NFL's most improved teams in 2015. A young core led by Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack means the Raiders are capable of making noise in 2016. 

Pivotal Matchups

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

While the AFC West matchups are always important, the two games that will likely have the most impact on the Broncos' potential playoff positioning next year—assuming all of the turnover doesn't dramatically weaken the team—will be contests against the Patriots and Bengals.

The Broncos beat both teams during the regular season last year, including a huge overtime win against the Bengals in Week 16 that had major implications in the AFC playoffs and helped the team earn the top overall seed and home-field advantage.

Meanwhile, the Broncos and Patriots have established quite the rivalry over the years. While Manning's retirement takes away a bit of intrigue from the matchup, the teams have met six times since 2012, splitting the series with three wins apiece.

Either the Broncos or Patriots have also represented the AFC in four of the past five Super Bowls, winning one title each. The two organizations have run the AFC in recent years, making any game between them must-watch television. 

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