Broncos Off-Season Roundup — Scheduling a Season


It's the middle of April, and games don't begin for months, and don't start counting for even longer. But the NFL keeps churning out news, dominating headlines, and whetting appetites for the season to come. On Tuesday night, that was the release of the official schedule.

Some have complained that the schedule release is meaningless. Granted, we've known who the Broncos would play — both home and away — for months. But we didn't know when the games would happen, or in what order. And that makes a big difference in forecasting. That's why people care about the Schedule Release and why, arguably, the Schedule Release matters.

So what did we learn from seeing the Broncos' schedule? Here's a few of my takeaways.

* First, it seems most feel this is the Peyton Manning farewell tour. He gets to go back to Indianapolis, he gets to play a lot of big contenders, and he squares off against Tom Brady, again, and Aaron Rodgers in his (presumed) final season.

* The Broncos get off to a rough scheduling start. The team hosts the Baltimore Ravens on opening Sunday, then travels to battle the Kansas City Chiefs four days later for a Thursday night game. There are a couple lines of thinking here — one that it's better to get your Thursday game out of the way early in the season when you're fresh. That's somewhat true, but more importantly, this feels like a rough start for a team with a 39-year-old quarterback and a shaky offensive line situation. The Ravens traditionally have a stout defense up front, as do the Chiefs. And divisional games — especially on the road — can be a challenge. Then the Broncos travel to Detroit — no slouches themselves up front — the following Sunday. That's part of an opening six games that sees the Broncos play just twice in Denver and four games on the road, then a bye. That means in September and October, the Broncos are in Denver just twice.

* The middle of the season, following a bye, is a brutal stretch for the Broncos. They are home to Green Bay, travel to Indianapolis, come home for Kansas City, travel to play the Bears (and former coach John Fox), then return home to play the Patriots. And that happens all in the space of the month of November. That could be a make-or-break stretch for the Broncos that features at least three, and possibly four, playoff contenders.

Up next for the Broncos, the draft begins a week from Thursday!

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