Broncos' 2021 Regular-Season Schedule Announced by NFL

The Broncos' full slate of 17 games this fall has been revealed.

The Denver Broncos are hoping to climb out of the AFC doldrums in 2021 after a disappointing 5-11 finish. With a new general manager leading the charge, the Broncos have made some momentous moves to upgrade the roster at several key positions.

From the secondary to the defensive line, linebackers, and even the offensive line, GM George Paton has made multiple key moves to fill some holes and hopefully, balance the scales in the AFC West. 

On Wednesday, the NFL geared up to announce its team-by-team schedule reveal, and as these things usually play out, the Broncos' 17-game slate of games was leaked a little bit early. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Broncos will not draw a Monday Night Football matchup and only have one primetime game (on a Thursday) slated. 

Here's how the schedule shapes up. 

Let's get it‼️ pic.twitter.com/jST8w90PXY

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 12, 2021

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Analysis 

The NFL dealt the Broncos a dagger by not only opening on the road in back-to-back weeks but by scheduling both as East Coast games. The only mercy is that the Giants game won't be an early-start game, kicking off at 2:25 MDT which should be more in line with the Broncos players' circadian rhythms (internal clock).

Two straight road games to open hurts but the NFL lightened the blow by giving Denver two consecutive home stands against the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. Then, the Broncos hit the road for an early-start game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, only to come home to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in the team's first divisional bout of the season. 

Denver's one and only primetime game follows on Thursday Night Football as the Cleveland Browns play host. It's a short, four-day turnaround for the Broncos but then, it's a 'mini-bye' with 10 days off between the Browns and hosting the Washington Football Team. 

There are some unique distinctions on this schedule, from the back-to-back East Coast road games to open to the three consecutive NFC East teams in the middle of the season, punctuated by three straight divisional bouts to close the campaign. 

From a strength-of-schedule perspective, the Broncos finally get some relief. After facing the second-toughest strength of schedule last year, the Broncos have the sixth-easiest schedule in 2021. We'll continue to react and analyze this schedule in the coming hours and days but suffice to say, the first quarter of the campaign shapes up as a nice launching pad for Drew Lock. 

If Lock doesn't turn a corner with the Giants, Jaguars, and Jets in the first three weeks, there'll be some serious hand-wringing going on in the Mile High City, which will likely be followed by a quarterback change. I'm hedging on the side of Lock exploiting those relatively soft matchups early and providing the Broncos with some nice momentum to open the 2021 season. 

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