After a strong finish to the 2019 season, Denver Broncos fans are optimistic as they look forward to the start of their team's upcoming season. A big reason for that optimism is second-year quarterback Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter last season while helping the Broncos finish with their best regular season record since 2016. The Broncos' front office, in order to give Lock an even greater chance to succeed in 2020, drafted three receivers and a tight end during the draft -- this included adding a wide receiver with both of their first two picks. Denver's defense, a unit that finished 10th in the NFL in scoring last season, will also play a significant role if the Broncos are going to make the playoffs for the first time since winning it all back in 2015. 

Below, we'll break down Denver's 2020 schedule by week and pinpoint all of the prime-time games to keep an eye on. We'll also dive into the Broncos' strength of schedule, what we project as their toughest stretch of games, and more. Without further ado, let's dive right into it.

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Times listed are Eastern Time   

2020 schedule

  • Week 1, Sept. 14: vs. Titans (Monday Night Football), 10:10 p.m., ESPN 
  • Week 2, Sept. 20: at Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 3, Sept. 27: vs. Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m., Fox 
  • Week 4, Oct. 1: at Jets (Thursday Night Football), 8:20 p.m., NFL Network 
  • Week 5, Oct. 11: at Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 6, Oct. 18: vs. Dolphins, 4:05 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 7, Oct. 25: vs. Chiefs, 4:25 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 8: BYE 
  • Week 9, Nov. 8: at Falcons, 1 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 10, Nov. 15: at Raiders, 4:05 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 11, Nov. 22: vs. Chargers, 4:05 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 12, Nov 29: vs. Saints, 4:05 p.m., FOx 
  • Week 13, Dec. 6: at Chiefs (Sunday Night Football), 8:20 p.m., NBC 
  • Week 14, Dec. 13: at Panthers, 1 p.m., CBS 
  • Week 15, Dec. 19/20: vs. Bills (TBD)
  • Week 16, Dec. 26/27: at Chargers (TBD) 
  • Week 17, Jan. 3: vs. Raiders, 4:25 p.m., CBS 

Home opener

The Broncos will open the home portion of their schedule against the Titans in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. The Broncos had won seven straight home openers prior to last year's loss to the Bears in Week 2. Overall, Denver went 5-3 at home in 2019 that including wins in their last four games at Empower Field at Mile High. 

For a deeper look into Denver's schedule check out Sportsline where you'll find game-by-game betting trends and a lot more.

Toughest stretch 

Denver's first five games are no picnic. After hosting the Titans (who advanced to the AFC title game) in Week 1, the Broncos will travel to Pittsburgh to face one of the league's toughest defenses and an offense that will once again be led by Ben Roethlisberger. Denver will then have to face Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at home before heading to the East Coast to take on a Jets team that is looking to build off their strong finish to the 2019 season. Denver will stay on the road the following week against the Patriots, who are out to prove that they are still one of the AFC's top teams even without Brady. 

Prime-time games

As noted above in the schedule breakdown, the Broncos currently have three prime-time games scheduled for the 2020 season. They have one on the road and two at home. In 2019, the Broncos went 0-2 in prime time, losing on the road to the Raiders in Week 1 before falling at home to the Chiefs in Week 7. 

Strength of schedule

Earlier this offseason, John Breech broke down the 2020 strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams based on combined opponent winning percentage in 2019. The Broncos will face the 12th-toughest strength of schedule in 2020. For a complete look at every team's strength of schedule, check out Breech's breakdown here.

However, when basing strength of schedule on the over/under win totals for each team's opponents during the 2020 season at William Hill, the Broncos go from facing the 12th-toughest schedule in the league to facing the fourth-toughest. For a complete look at every team's strength of schedule using this methodology, check out Jared Dubin's full breakdown here.