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

Broncos expected to be a top primetime attraction in 2026 regular season originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The NFL will release its full regular-season schedule for 2026 on Thursday, and while some of the games on that schedule have begun to trickle out, we will have the answers to every team's entire slate soon.

One of the games that has already been announced is the Denver Broncos facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Monday Night Football game of the season. That will be a big test to begin the season for the Broncos, who, after winning the AFC West last season and coming extremely close to getting to the Super Bowl, look to be a team often placed in primetime games this coming season. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report listed 12 games that need to be played in primetime in 2026 and he has the Broncos in three of those.

He feels games against the Buffalo Bills , New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars should all be played in front of a large television audience. Here were his thoughts on each of those matchups: 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.