Broncos expected to be a top primetime attraction in 2026 regular season

Buffalo Bills

"Denver ended Buffalo's season with a heart-breaking overtime victory in last year's playoffs—a win that turned out to be the climax of the Broncos' season considering that quarterback Bo Nix suffered a late ankle injury that left the team close to hopeless in terms of its Super Bowl quest.

Now, Nix should be recovered from a pair of ankle procedures for this potential AFC Championship preview between an unstoppable force and an immovable object at the scene of last year's crime.

That's must-watch sports television", wrote Gagnon.

New England Patriots

"Nix versus Drake Maye could be a quarterback rivalry for a decade-plus to come, and this is a rematch of last year's closely contested defensive battle in the AFC title game.

The Broncos fell short there, but they should have a healthy Nix in an attempt at revenge this time.

This would be an ideal early-season prime-time matchup, since both young teams likely still have that taste in their mouths from January", said Gagnon.

Jacksonville Jaguars

"Are the Jaguars for real after finishing 2025 as one of the hottest teams in pro football? This offers one heck of a test, preferably early in the season.

Denver's defense is arguably the best in football, but Trevor Lawrence put up 15 touchdown passes to one interception while posting a 113.2 passer rating in his last six games for a Jags squad that hasn't lost a regular-season game since early November.

This would be a stellar opportunity for Jacksonville to prove that wasn't a fluke, as well as a fun matchup between two of the best young quarterbacks in the game", said Gagnon.

How many primetime games will the Broncos have in 2026?

The games against Buffalo and New England make plenty of sense to have in primetime because the circumstances surrounding the most recent meetings between those teams would likely draw an interested national audience.

The Jaguars don't play in primetime often, even when they are competitive, so it seems like that choice is unlikely. However, Jacksonville was able to beat the Broncos in Denver last season, so the Broncos would be looking to avenge that loss as well.

It's interesting to note that when discussing the one thing that each team is hoping for with the 2026 schedule release, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports listed having more games at home in primetime than on the road.

"As one of the NFL's best teams in 2025, and with a talented young quarterback to boot, the Broncos are expected to be featured on prime time quite a bit in 2026. If that's the case, Denver could find itself in multiple primetime road games. The Broncos getting just as many, or more, home games in primetime would be a compromise", wrote DeArdo.

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We will soon find out how it all shakes out. The schedule is set to be released at 6:00 pm Mountain time on Thursday.

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