2018 Denver Broncos Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Denver Broncos unexpectedly sank to the bottom of the AFC West last season, with their years of misfires on offense finally coming back to haunt them. 

Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler combined to be perhaps the worst quarterback duo in the league, and Paxton Lynch looks like a bust two years into his career. While poor quarterback play had never been a problem in keeping the Broncos competitive in recent seasons, their once-formidable defense began to show cracks.

Once-formidable stars like Aqib Talib showed signs of slippage, and were shown the door this offseason as part of a retooling.

Can the Broncos make a return to the playoffs with Case Keenum under center? Here's a look at their schedule following Thursday's announcement, per NFL.com.

Broncos' 2018 Schedule

Week 1: vs. Seahawks on Sept. 9 at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox

Week 2: vs. Raiders on Sept. 16 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 3: at Ravens on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 4: vs. Chiefs on Oct. 1 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN

Week 5: at Jets on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 6: vs. Rams on Oct. 14 at 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox

Week 7: at Cardinals on Oct. 18 at 8:20 p.m. ET on Fox, NFLN

Week 8: at Chiefs on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 9: vs. Texans on Nov. 4  at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 10: BYE

Week 11: at Chargers on Nov. 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 12: vs. Steelers on Nov. 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 13: at Bengals on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 14: at 49ers on Dec. 9 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 15: vs. Browns on Dec. 15 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NFLN

Week 16: at Raiders on Dec. 24 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN

Week 17: vs. Chargers on Dec. 30 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Analysis

The Broncos have a last-place schedule, so it inherently ranks among the easiest in the NFL. Only four teams have a worse strength of schedule than Denver. The Broncos will get the lucky distinction of playing fellow last-place finishers in the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and the Houston Texans.

AFC West teams are also slated to face off against the AFC North and NFC West as their common opponents. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals aren't scaring anyone as they bring back their mediocre bands from last season, while the Arizona Cardinals aren't an intimidating prospect in the NFC West.

The rest of the West, however, is far more difficult and could sink the Broncos season. The Los Angeles Rams look like perhaps the best team in football after loading up on talent all offseason, including the ex-Bronco Talib. The Seattle Seahawks remain formidable, and the San Francisco 49ers looked like a completely different team in 2017 after handing over the reins to Jimmy Garoppolo.

Record-wise, this looks like an "easy" schedule. But practically, this could wind up being one of the harder ones in the sport.

Pivotal Matchups

Getting to nine or 10 wins could do the trick here, which means taking care of business in the conference and division will be paramount. Avoiding bad losses to the Browns and Jets will be key, should things come down to a conference tiebreaker. 

The Broncos' chances will come down to whether quarterback Case Keenum is the 2017 version of himself or every other version of Case Keenum. His numbers across all of his other seasons are essentially in line with what Osweiler and Siemian have put up. It's possible the Broncos are making an expensive investment for the same level of quarterback play. 

History tends to lean toward Keenum making some regression, although it's unlikely he'll fall off a cliff. Even if he's around the 20th-best starting quarterback in the NFL, the Broncos should expect to win a couple more games.

Fixing the defense and returning it to its former elite form will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether the Broncos make the postseason. Keenum isn't good enough to carry an elite offense. If he can get them to right around league average, Denver's going to need an uptick in play from its revamped secondary and pass rush to compete.