Five Trap Games on the Broncos’ 2026 Schedule
The Denver Broncos enter the 2026 season with expectations that look very different from where the franchise stood just a few years ago. After breaking through to win the AFC West in 2025, Denver is no longer viewed as a young team trying to prove it belongs among the conference contenders. The Broncos now carry the pressure that comes with being hunted instead of underestimated.
That shift also changes the way their schedule should be viewed. The biggest threats to a successful season are not always the marquee showdowns against Super Bowl contenders, but rather the games that appear manageable on paper before kickoff. Every NFL season features a few afternoons where a contender comes out flat, underestimates an opponent, or simply runs into a team that catches fire at the right time, and Denver has several matchups in 2026 that fit that description.
Week 7: at Arizona Cardinals
At first glance, this appears to be the easiest game in the opening half of the season for the Broncos. Denver opens 2026 with a brutal six-game stretch that begins with a season opener at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs and continues with five consecutive opponents that reached the playoffs in 2025. After navigating that gauntlet, many fans will likely view the road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals as a much-needed breather on the schedule.
History certainly supports that belief. The Broncos own a dominant 10-1-1 all-time record against Arizona, while the Cardinals have endured one of the worst stretches in franchise history in recent years, posting a combined 19-49 record from 2022 through 2025.
However, Arizona was far more competitive in 2025 than its 3-14 record suggests. The Cardinals lost to the 12-5 San Francisco 49ers by just one point in Week 3, fell 23-20 to the eventual Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, lost 27-23 to the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers in Week 7, and pushed the 13-4 Jacksonville Jaguars to overtime in Week 12. If Denver comes into this matchup overlooking Arizona after a brutal opening stretch, the Cardinals could hand the Broncos an unexpected loss.
Week 9: at Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are no longer a rebuilding team trying to find its footing. Carolina captured the NFC South title with an 8-9 record in 2025 and enters the 2026 campaign as one of the league’s more intriguing young teams. While the Panthers may not yet be viewed as a true NFC powerhouse, they have a legitimate chance to return to the playoffs in a division that still lacks a clear dominant team.
Carolina also proved during the 2025 campaign that it can compete with quality opponents when everything clicks offensively, highlighted by a stunning 31-28 victory over the high-octane Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw three touchdown passes in that victory, including two in the fourth quarter, while Carolina’s defense forced three turnovers from 2025 AP NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
That performance carried over into the postseason. Just weeks later, the Panthers pushed Los Angeles to the brink again in the Wild Card Round before narrowly falling 34-31. The Rams needed late-game heroics from Stafford simply to avoid a shocking one-and-done playoff exit. Denver may still have the more complete roster entering this matchup, but Carolina is young, scrappy, and dangerous enough to beat quality opponents when momentum starts building.
Week 11: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Few rivalries in the NFL produce uglier games than meetings between the Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. Records, momentum, and preseason expectations rarely matter once these teams meet on the field. No matter how talented one roster may appear compared to the other, AFC West familiarity almost always creates a physical and emotionally charged game.
Denver experienced that firsthand during the 2025 season. The Broncos entered their Week 10 clash against Las Vegas with a 7-2 record, while the Raiders limped into the matchup at 2-6. On paper, Denver should have cruised to an easy victory, but instead the Broncos found themselves trailing 7-0 early before grinding out an ugly 10-7 win in one of the least aesthetically pleasing games of the season.
That contest perfectly illustrated why this matchup qualifies as a trap game despite being a divisional rivalry. Las Vegas does not need to be a playoff contender to make life difficult for Denver. Rivalry hatred alone is often enough to elevate the intensity level, and if the Broncos enter this game expecting a comfortable win simply because of the standings, the Raiders have already proven they can drag Denver into a four-quarter slugfest.
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins may be in the middle of a rebuild, but they still possess enough high-end talent to create problems for opponents that fail to take them seriously. Rebuilding teams are dangerous precisely because they often play loose, and Miami still has several cornerstone players capable of changing games on their own.
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane remains one of the league’s most explosive offensive weapons, capable of creating chunk plays both on the ground and through the air. Broncos fans know that all too well. During Miami’s 70-20 demolition of Denver in Week 3 of the 2023 season, Achane torched the Broncos with 243 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns in one of the most humiliating losses in franchise history.
The Dolphins also believe they may have found their quarterback of the future in Malik Willis. While filling in for an injured Jordan Love late in the 2025 season with Green Bay, Willis flashed intriguing upside, including a breakout performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17 in which he threw for 288 yards and a touchdown while adding 60 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. Miami may not enter 2026 with playoff expectations, but the Dolphins still possess enough speed and explosiveness to potentially give Denver a run for its money.
Week 14: at New York Jets
The New York Jets have developed a habit of dragging the Broncos into ugly, low-scoring games over the past two seasons. Neither matchup was pretty, and both could have easily swung the other direction with just a few plays going differently. That trend alone makes this road trip feel far more dangerous than it may initially appear.
Denver escaped with a narrow 13-11 victory over New York in Week 6 of the 2025 season despite recording nine sacks and holding the Jets to minus-10 net passing yards. Remarkably, New York did not score an offensive touchdown in the game and still nearly pulled off the upset. The Broncos ultimately needed a late defensive stand to secure the win.
The year before was not much different, as Denver grinded out an ugly 10-9 victory over the Jets in Week 4 of the 2024 season while Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for just 60 yards. That recent history matters because it shows these matchups consistently become uncomfortable regardless of circumstances. If Denver struggles offensively early or loses the field-position battle, this has all the ingredients of another frustrating, one-possession game deep into the fourth quarter.
