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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jon Heath

Ranking the 5 must-watch games from the Broncos’ schedule

Since the Denver Broncos’ 2024 schedule was released last Wednesday, the team has several high-profile games on the schedule.

There are two “revenge” games on the schedule, one at home, and one away. The biggest storyline for Denver is the same it has been since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50: who will be the Week 1 starting quarterback? Will it be rookie Bo Nix? Fourth-year rebuilding quarterback Zach Wilson, or second-year system man Jarrett Stidham? Any one of these three quarterbacks could have a dramatic impact on the outcome of the 2024 season.

We want to break down the five biggest matchups for the Broncos from the 2024 slate.

Week 7: Thursday Night Football @ New Orleans Saints

(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Head coach Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans is must-watch football, and that was reflected with the Thursday Night Football slot. It is sure to be a bittersweet reunion for the coach, who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title, and coached one of the greatest quarterbacks in recent history in Drew Brees. What will this homecoming look like for Payton and Co.? 

Week 2: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

(Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

The Broncos’ Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers comes with significant intrigue, as former Denver quarterback Russell Wilson returns to the Mile High region as a member of the yellow and black. The stakes for both sides are pretty high. For the Steelers: Is Russell Wilson the former Pro Bowler and All-Pro he once was? For the Broncos: Was the record $85 million in dead money worth it to move on from Wilson after less than two seasons?

Week 5 (away) and Week 12 (home): Las Vegas Raiders

(Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

The Broncos haven’t beaten the Raiders since the franchise moved to Las Vegas, which makes these games especially intriguing games on the 2024 schedule. Since the Broncos snapped the 16-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, this rivalry game marks the second-biggest current losing streak between two teams in the NFL today.

Week 4: @ New York Jets

(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The Broncos will face former head coach Nathaniel Hackett for the second time in two seasons, this time in the Meadowlands. Depending on who the starting quarterback is in Week 4, this could be an even more interesting matchup. If that man is fourth-year quarterback Zach Wilson, Wilson could play spoiler to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Jets front office, who made him the second overall pick out of Brigham Young University in the 2021 NFL draft.

Week 1: @ Seattle Seahawks

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

The Broncos look to avenge their Week 1 loss in 2022, when former quarterback Russell Wilson tried to make a statement to his former team. That effort fell flat, a 17-16 loss in former head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s first game. Can the Broncos go into Seattle to begin the season 1-0? Time will tell. 

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | <ahref="https://bit.ly/3o7jZOm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Podcasts https://omny.fm/shows/broncos-wire/let-s-have-an-honest-conversation-about-bo-nix/embed

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