The Broncos enter 2026 as one of the AFC’s top contenders, but Bo Nix and Co. had better have their game faces on from the jump. The first six games of the 2026 slate are absolutely brutal—the team faces just one team over that span that didn’t make the playoffs last year, and that’s a Monday night affair with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to open the season. After that it’s Jaguars, Rams, at San Francisco, at the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle. Ouch.
How the Chiefs start the season will depend largely on the health of Patrick Mahomes’ surgically-repaired knee, but Kansas City’s last-place schedule sets up well for a hot start. The toughest game of the first month of the season is that Monday-nighter against Denver, and that’s at Arrowhead. After that comes three matchups the Chiefs should win—home against the Colts before hitting the road to face two bad teams in the Dolphins and Raiders.
The Raiders had the worst record in the NFL last year, but there’s room for at least a little optimism over the first month—divisional matchups with the Chargers and Chiefs are tough, but the Dolphins and Saints are hardly juggernauts. However, after that manageable first month, the bottom may well fall out in Sin City—assuming a loss to the Chiefs, at New England, Buffalo and the Rams after has the makings of a four-game skid.
Los Angeles Chargers: Mild
The Chargers made the postseason a year ago, and the Bolts should come out of the first month of the season no worse than 2-2 thanks to opening the season against two doormats in the Cardinals and Raiders. After that? Buckle up, son, because the ride gets bumpy—after that Week 2 date with the Raiders, the Chargers travel to first Buffalo and Seattle before a home date with the Broncos and a trip to Kansas City. That Week 7 bye is going to be welcomed, even if three more tough matchups follow.
