05-14-25 KOA's NFL Schedule Release Special

Finally, we've been talking about this for the last guys. She feels like the last forever. I mean, it's finally, it's finally here. So fellas, let's get right to it, starting with the home opener. The opener this year is at home September seventh against the Tennessee.

Titans, and I guess the question will.

Be Ryan, where we see cam Ward as the starting quarterback of the Titans or not?

Well, I guess they could always go to Will Levis theoretically, but yeah, you draft the guy first number one overall, and you sort of think that he's going to be the guy. They're not the Cleveland Browns who are benching Baker Mayfield, so yeah, you think cam Ward is going to be in there, and I don't know, it feels

Without getting too disrespect full to an NFL franchise, is about as good as an opener as you could hope for.

It's a it's a as.

Good a warm up game, I think, as you possibly could could want. Whether it's Cam Ord or whether it's it's Will Levis. The Tennessee Titans are not a great football team. They're trying to get better, but they still got holes to fill. And honestly, the first two weeks in the season open up about as nice as you'd like for the Broncos before it really starts to get kind of weird.

Yeah, it gets kind of weirdt the next couple of weeks. You know, last year the Broncos had their first two regular season games.

On the road.

That was tough enough, and then two games excuse a game on the road, then coming home against the Steelers, and then two more games on the road, so three the first four. Even though the home opener this year is going to be at Empower Field at Male High,

That's gonna be a challenge.

I mean, the Chargers last year were much they were I a would say much improved, but they were improved with Jim Harbaugh. And you sort of think because of the expectations of that team, who again, we're a playoff team. They got absolutely hammered in the postseason against Houston, they're gonna have a bit of a chip on their shoulder as well, and so that that's gonna be Again you're talking about sort of a clash of two teams that feel like they should be vying for the AFC West.

Yeah, you first home game against the Titans and you first Rode game against the Colts, those feel like games that are eminently winnable for the Denver Broncos.

Based on what we see right now as we.

Sit here today, who's the starting quarterback for the Colts Daniel Jones that second second game.

Daniel Jones. I think he's gonna be out a rich In camp and I think he'll be the starter. He's more consistent. You know, at the end of the day, Richardson has better tools, but at the end of the day, Jones is more consistent. And then you you know, you on the road and what has been for many years at a fact, a home game for the Broncos out there against the Chargers, So he's certainly been a lot more orange in the stands and there's been the powder blue,

Like it's that's going to be a rough stretch of games.

Yeah, well, we'll talk about that next three game stretch coming up. We invite you to watch and interact with us on kiowa's Facebook page. Kowa Cast live Stream. We're gonna be here for the next hour or so. And by the way, we're gonna give you a chance to win a pair of tickets to a Broncos home game twenty twenty five Broncos home game that's coming up here in the next few minutes as well.

Okay, bent Ben kind of teased it.

The first prime time matchup of the twenty twenty five regular season that comes on September twenty ninth. That is the second home game of the season. So the first four games, two at home, two on the road. The home game on a Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Once again one of the best offenses in the league.

Whatever you think about Cincinnati's upcoming year, and of course we'll have discussions about whether they improved it enough on defense, they're gonna be good offense.

Joe Burrow. They brought back both their star wide receivers.

That brought back Mike Asiki, and that game was so recent for Broncos fans, you're not gonna forget about it, and I imagine the team won't forget about it as well.

This is a little bit of revenge opportunity.

Here at thing for the Broncos to take down the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that they probably thought they should have won last year when they went to overtime. So that's gonna be a really interesting game. Obviously not division, but in conference, and those games do matter when things

So been more speculation. Obviously we don't know. But by week four this fall is the Bengals roll into the town. Do you think Trey Hendrickson will be part of the Bengals team?

I don't. I don't think there's any way they can pay him what.

He wants to pay on what he's demanding to be and frankly rightfully so, but what he's demanding to be paid. He's not going to play on a new contract. And I don't know where the money's coming from here. I mean, they have just powed so much money in that offense. You made Jamar Chase the highest paid non quarterback in football, a wide receiver making forty plus million dollars.

Then let's not for your t Higgins too, right, And then you t Aggains.

You already got to Joe Burrow money.

And the Cowboys are going to get this Parsons thing done fairly soon before the season. That's gonna put Hendrickson in line for a forty five plus million dollars per year pay day. I have no idea where Cincinnati would even come up with that. They don't have the cash, let alone the cap to make that happen, and so.

I don't believe it. I believe they'll trade him.

I know Washington had inquired previously about Hendrickson. I think they'll try to Builo this summer and see if they can't get Trey Hendrickson off the Bengals.

So the first four weeks they open do the Broncos at home against the Tennessee Titans that game on September seventh, and then two road games at Indianapolis, facing the Colts on September fourteenth, then traveling to Los Angeles to play it so far against the Los Angeles Chargers that game on September twenty. First, we just mentioned. The first primetime game is a Monday night home game September twenty ninth against the Cincinnati Bengals. The next week before we get

Yeah, that's going to be a tough game.

I mean, I think that we sometimes look at these games, especially on paper, and say, I feel like that could be a win, like we talked about with the Titans and the Colts, and then you look at this game, you're like, that's at Philadelphia against a team that, again is pretty complete.

I know they lost some guys.

In free agency and there's expectations and maybe a bit of a step back, but at this point they're not. As we sitting here had this conversation today, That's not how I'm feeling about this game. This feels like one of those you go in, you compee, you do the best you can, Hopefully you come out of that thing relatively.

Unscathed, and you get ready for the New York Jets.

Yeah, you don't ever want to dismiss a game as far as like, you know, putting it in your head that it'd be a loss, but on paper, you're talking about playing prior to this, you got to beat them up game against the Chargers.

You know that's going to be physical. You've got to a.

Shootout on a Monday night, probably against the Cincinnati Bengals, a short week, early East Coast game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and looks like a pretty tough ask for anybody.

Yeah, I would agree. And the game is at eleven am Denver time, right.

Which early morning is always tough.

I think for the teams that are traveling back East. I would suspect based on where the next game is, that the Broncos will stay in Philadelphia, more than likely leave from Philadelphia flying to London because the next game the following Sunday, October twelfth, the Broncos and the New

Yeah, Aaron Glynn's now the head coach, and we've always liked Aaron Glynn. I think that we have a lot of respect for Aeron Glynn, but it's tough to know what when he's a rookie head coach, what they're going to look like. And that is Week six, so we'll have a little more information about that team by then. They've got some offensive talent, for sure. They've always had a really good defense.

I mean, the last several years are really good defense.

It's not going to be I think that you oftentimes look at this game and you say, well, the Jets have historically just been a bad team of the last decade plus. This is a game that the Broncos should absolutely win, and they should, but there's the unknown factor, especially with Justin Fields and no, Ben, you're not a big Justin Fields guy, but he offers a lot as athleticism with his legs that that's not going to be a walk in the park in my opinion.

Yeah, I mean anytime, I mean, looking at the schedule, you're just coming off of already, you're coming off of again. You get that physical game against the Chargers, you got the Monday night game against the Bengals, a short week game against the Eagles, and you're flying overseas to London to take on the Jets. That's a brutal stretch of football right there. I don't think the Jets are going to be particularly good on offense. Justin fields is hashtag

Yeah, I agree with you.

All right, let's recap the first six games. I'm gonna ask you, guys, what you think the record will be at that point. The Broncos open at home against the Tennessee Titans, followed by two can say becutive road games in Indianapolis to face the Colts, and also the next weekend on the road against the LA Chargers in La. Monday Night football comes to the Mile High City the fourth game of the regular season, as the Cincinnati Bengals

So after six games with three being.

On the road, actually four if you count the road game in London, so two home games and four road games of the first six, Ryan, what do you have the Broncos record?

I feel like you would accept three and three. You'd probably like to be four and two, I think ideally. I mean, you obviously want to win all of them.

That goes without saying, but you'd be looking at that as an opportunity to go for into knowing that maybe the Eagles and Chargers games is gonna be the toughest ones in that group. But you feel like the home games you definitely should have. You should have that Indianapolis, you imagine again taking on Daniel Jones, Jones or Anthony Richardson. You feel like you're a better team than that. And

I'm pretty much with you on that.

I think that anything less than three and three you're you're very disappointed. I think three and three and four and two are realistic numbers. I think that Chargers game, man, you're gonna have a physical football team. They struggled with that last year. They struggled with it, so hopefully they got some of that shorn up. That Eagles game looks tough. I just you know, on paper right now, not seeing that as a win. So I think four and two is probably what you come out of this.

I don't disagree with any of that.

I think back to last year's Chargers game, and the Broncos had every chance to win that game last year in Los Angeles and early the second half, well at the end of the first half, and then the second half kind of got away from them, and there were some things that were exposed on the Broncos defense for sure, but I'm not ready to say that that will be a game that the Broncos. I mean to me, that game doesn't feel like the game in Philadelphia when you're

We'll see either way.

I think the Broncos would probably take that record.

Again.

We invite you to watch and interact on Ko's Facebook page, koa cast live stream and we're going to be given a lucky caller. We'll give you the number here. We'll do that coming up here in the next few minutes. But do you have a chance to win a pair of tickets to a twenty twenty five Broncos home game of your choice. So there are some really good games in terms of home games this year for the Broncos. Dave Logan, Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Albright with you. All right,

Bye week, but they do not. They come back home.

They'll have a home game the following Sunday, which is October nineteenth, against the New York Football Giants and possibly Russell Wilson.

Yeah, that's the question, right, Is it gonna be Russ this time? Didn't get a chance to see him last year and he's with the Steelers. He was hurt at that time. I say hurt air quotes maybe, but he was hurt last year. Now it's going to be Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston who's also there, and of course they traded up for a rookie quarterback in Jackson Dart.

So it could be one of those three. I don't know.

I don't know if I freak out about any of the quarterback matchups in that I think more than anything, I'm excited to see Milik Neighbors versus Patzer Tan. That for me is gonna be one of the like the matchups in the game that I'm most excited about.

Yeah, this is.

Interesting because the Giants are coming off into fact oh buy, they'll have Thursday Night football, so they have ten days stretch there where they're off to get rested up. While the Broncos are coming off that whole that brutal series back to back where you had the short week against Philly, you went to London, and then you come back home. Thankfully a home game for Denver. But again you're catching a Giants team that you may not think is that good.

You want to keep your eye on that.

I'm not too scared about the you know, the Russ or Jamis, whatever little we do see Jameis throw for a million miles on that game than when he was at the Browns last year. I'm not too concerned about it. I do think the Broncos pull out a win here. It's the next game.

I'm worried about.

Next game.

That bit is referring to following Sunday, another home game October twenty sixth, as the Dallas.

Cowboys roll to town. You're worried about the Dallas game.

Dallas is going to catch people naping this year. They're going to be a good football team.

You're really high on Brian Schottenheimer, not just that They've made some personnel moves that you know in that offensive line, the run game. I mean, I think they're going to be a much better team that The coordinator they hired as an offensive line coach, he used to be with the Arizona Cardinals. The stuff he did over there I thought was pretty good as well. I think Dallas is.

Going to catch people napping this year.

Who's going to carry the ball for him?

Well, it'll be a platoon.

I mean, Javonte will be involved in that, although he's probably going to be more of the pass catching back for him.

They'll use a platoon in a rotation there.

You know, it's not going to be if you've ever seen a Brian Schottenheimer offense, it's a three.

Headed rushing attack. I don't share your concern.

At least done on paper, and we get closer to the game, maybe you feel a little bit different.

But for the Dallas Cowboys, they've got a lot to prove this year.

Right now, I think a lot of people are thinking about them as a team that really hasn't done a lot this offseason. They didn't spend a lot in free agency. Once again, some mixed reviews on how they felt about the draft. That took a really good interior offensive line in the first round that we all like. But you know, more than anything for the Dallas Cowboys, this is an interesting year for Dak Prescott.

Ceede Lam's always going to be Cee Lamb.

He's a really good player, but interesting kind of prove it year on the defensive side of the ball too.

I don't know there's such a don't forget George Pickens.

Yeah, they had they added George Pickens, So if he doesn't, that wide receiver room, by the way, he's just on his face, just the personality of that wide receiver room is very vintage Dallas Cowboys. Dave, I imagine you would agree with that.

Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting to see really.

Because you know, Ceedee Lamb's going to get the ball and rightfully so, so how do they fit George Pickens in that offense? You we all know that Brian Schottenheimer is a guy that wants to run the ball and then develop the play action passing game. So I you know, I don't think it's going to be chuck the ball forty five times and when Pickens has gotten in the first two or three weeks twelve to fifteen targets total.

I just want how that room will be and how he'll act.

Well, I'll say this, Brian shot Imer was the offensive coordinator of the Seahawks during the let Russ Cook year, the near MVP year he had, and they did throw the ball a little bit there. They built off the run, but they did throw it quite a bit. You'll see Pickens take most of the vertical routes and then you go see Ceedee Lamb take the between the numbers in the mid game, and that's that's kind of how they'll

So we are through eight games with one interesting note.

After the Broncos go to London and face the Jets on October twelfth, four of the next five games are at home. So I don't know if the if the league schedulers felt like they were doing the Broncos a great favor in that regard.

I think it would have been better had they had.

A bye week following the Jets game in London, but that's not the case we've had. We've talked about the Giants and the Cowboys. Cowboys in town to face the Broncos on October twenty six, now November two, on another eleven AM game. That's this will be the second eleven AM Denver time start of a game the upcoming season. November second, the Broncos travel to Houston to face the Houston Texans. They the Texans took a step back last year, and I think CJ. Stroud may have taken a step back.

Well, we like CJ.

Stroud and they certainly you know Nico Collins health.

I don't think they're gonna have Tank Dell available to them.

He's not expected expected to be available for much of the season this year.

I don't know.

I I they fired their offensive coordinators, so I'm gonna kind of see if that.

Change ended up helping them.

They didn't really do a great job, I thought this offseason and the offensive line, they kind of made some interesting choices, sort of shipping off some some key players there. So you know, on a face value conversation, a paper value conversation, it's gonna be a good game, especially when you think about how they do have a commitment to the defensive side of the ball with their head coach and his background.

But I say, right now, I think it's a game that they should win.

Honestly, as we see here today, the Texans are probably gonna beat up on some inferior opponents in their division, but the Broncos should be the better team.

They should win this game. Yeah, I mean, they got a new offensive corner, Nick Kayley.

You know, I respect him as a football mind, but it's yet to be seeing what he is as an offensive coordinator and a play caller. And that offensive line might be worse than it was last year in terms of talent. I mean, they they've shuffled some things around, but I don't know that it's necessarily better.

We'll have to see.

They're gonna have a great defense to Miko Ryan's gonna have a great defense, and you can.

You can bank on that. But it should be a winnable.

Road game for the Denver Broncos.

So we're through the November second matchup on the road against the Houston Texans. When we come back, we'll talk about the Broncos second opportunity to play in prime time. That'll come up on November six, and we'll tell you who they play. Following these messages, you're listening to the schedule release special on the Broncos Radio Network Broncos and the schedule that they will have this year. We are through with the schedule and let me just bring everybody

In case you're just joining us.

They will open up September seventh, the home game against the Tennessee Titans, then two road games the fourteenth of September at Indianapolis against the Colts. The twenty first of September, they traveled to Los Angeles to face the Chargers. All three of those games are two h five start Denver time. First Monday night game, first primetime action for the Broncos at home September.

Twenty ninth against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Then they travel the Philadelphia to play the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. That is an eleven am start on October fifth, then across the pond they go to play at Tottenham Stadium in London on October twelfth against the New York Jets.

That, by the.

Way, you can set your alarm and get up a little bit early, as that game will start at seven thirty am Denver time.

The next two games are at home. In fact four the next five are at home.

October nineteenth, they host the Giants at Empower Field at Mile High that's a two well five start. The next weekend the Cowboys rolling the town. That's a two to twenty five start. On October twenty sixth, the road game sandwiched in between those two home games on each side. November tewod Denver travels to Houston to face the Texans. That is the second eleven am start of the season. That game will be shown on Fox, and then two home games Thursday night game November sixth against the Las

Yeah, Geno Smith coming to town. Ashton Chancey, who they selected with the sixth overall pick, we'll get our first opportunity to see him. It's a Thursday night home game. You gotta win those. I mean, that's just that's just sort of what it is. Absolutely, the Raiders are not going to be a pushover. I don't think this year. But that doesn't mean you approach this to anything other than you are the home team.

You need to represent. This has to be a win for you.

Whatever expectations you have the season, these are the games you have to have.

So you'll play the Raiders.

A month from then, and I know we'll get into that here in a little bit on the road, but that game in division, you gotta have it.

Yeah. I tend to agree.

You're you're coming off a road game at Houston and you get the you know, you get.

The Raiders a division. It's gonna be interesting. Man.

Pete Carroll squaring off against Sean Payton again, I feel like we're back in the uh you know, back in the NFC playoffs here about a decade ago.

But I don't think that. Uh.

I like what Pete Carroll does. I like what Hekro does and turning things around. I don't think the Raiders are going to quite be there in year one, so I'm hoping that this Thursday night game won't go as as rough as it potentially could, because that game right after that is one you definitely got circled.

And the game right after that.

Ben is referring to the first time the Broncos in this upcoming twenty twenty five season we'll see the Kansas City Chiefs. That will be a home game November sixteenth, so ten days after the Thursday night matchup against the Raiders, the Broncos will be at home facing the Chiefs a two to twenty.

Five start from Empower Field at Mile High.

It'll definitely be a different matchup than the last time they saw the Chiefs, which was against the backups and ended up being a route and the Broncos win into the postseason result of it, you got the buy on the other side of it. But I mean, this is the thing with the Kansas City Chiefs. So many people are predicting a bit of a step back season. I think it's more about the other team sort of catching up, I think is what I'm looking at. This AFC West is going to be so how much have the Broncos

First of first two to twenty five kick of the season. They only only get two this year. That's going to be It's gonna be interesting. The Broncos played the Chiefs tough at Arrowhead last year. We all remember the field goal at the end of you know the so we all remember that, and then of course he beat.

Up on the backups to end the season.

So I think that this team feels like that they're already caught up, that they feel like that they can compete with Kansas City.

I think they think they showed it at Arrowhead.

I think they're looking for revenge on that, and certainly they're beating up on the backups.

Wasn't that revenge whether or not they got to the playoffs because of it.

So I expect the Broncos to have this game circled starred, gold, starred and ready to roll in this in this matchup.

Yeah, I agree. Denver will have a buye the next week, So the weekend of November twenty third, the Broncos.

Will have a buye. So let's stop right there.

The Kansas City Chiefs game at Empower Field at Mile Hig represents the eleventh game of the season. Fellows, what record do we give to the Broncos? And again, we're having some fun with us. It's may lots of things can happen. But if you had to pick after eleven games, what the record of the Broncos would be, what say you?

I feel like you're pretty happy with a seven and four start at that point. I mean, maybe a couple of mistakes.

End up happening.

I mean, again, it's the NFL, right, there's surprises every weekend. So if you end up being six and five, I don't think you're too angry about that, but knowing you're gonna have to make up some ground on the other side of the bye week. But I think seven and four would be ideal for me, knowing that there might be a stumble in there. Like I said, the Houston Texas game is like the one you'd like to have. Well, Houston, Texas might be a little bit better this year.

Who knows. So seven and four would be ideal.

That was the exact number I had projected for that far into the season.

I think if you get there, you're happy with that.

I think if you're six and five, you're probably not as happy with that, even if it is a winning record.

I think you kind of need to be seven and four.

Looking at the back part of the sketch, yeah, I agree, I agree.

In fact, I actually have the Broncos eight and three. You'll go after eleven. But listen, I like it's optimistic. I'm optimistic to a fault. No, seven and four wouldn't be a wet blanket. But let's see what we have in the last six games of the season. November thirtieth, after the bye week. In fact, the next two weeks following that bye week, the Broncos will be on the road. November thirtieth, another primetime matchup. This will be a nighttime game in Washington against the Commanders.

I can't wait for this game.

Like you just circle certain games that I mean, you're talking about Jayden Daniels Ben's favorite Dan Quinn, his favorite coach.

He has a tattoo and everything. I won't tell.

You you trying to be trying to be transparently, Okay, why does.

He make it that face?

You know?

Never mind?

Anyways, that game right there in prime time is going to be one of the talk of.

The league kind of games.

When we get to that week, Week thirteen, everybody's gonna be sitting there waiting for that game to start because it's gonna be two young, ascending quarterbacks and two really good deep teams. Washington, of course, went to the NFC Championship game last year. The Broncos made it's the postseason they expect to be going further. I can't wait for that game. I think that's gonna be a lot of fun on the road. Gonna be tough, but you're coming off of bye, so some optimism should be there.

Well, they're both coming off of by Washington's buye is also the same week as Denver, so both teams will be coming off of bye for that game. I'm looking forward to getting out there, seeing some friends that coach Pagano is on that staff, get a chance to say hi to him. Uh and it'd be a fun, exciting game. I had a chance to chop it up with him

Is excited already about having it on Sunday Night Football.

Uh it is.

It is gonna be h It's gonna be a fun game and you get to see Bownick square off against Jaydon Daniels. I think that's the kind of matchup fans on paper at the beginning of the season, when these schedule release things come out, I think they love seeing that.

I mean as excited as Denver fans are for this upcoming season, and I think rightfully so. Given the fact that the team went to the playoffs last year they found their quarterback in bow Knicks, you can multiply that with respect to how the fans in Washington feel about the Commanders. That team hard to believe, but that team got to the NFC Championship game.

Last year, losing to the Eagles on the road.

They're getting rewarded for that this year.

By the way, Washington will have eight primetime or standalone games this year.

Eight.

I'm gonna say right now, I think Washington will take a step back. As great as Jaydon Daniels was last year, undeniable, he was spectacular. I think they'll come back to the pack a little bit. We will see, all right. After that road game on November thirtieth against the Commanders, they then are back on the road December seventh, as they will travel to Las Vegas to play the Raiders, a two zero five start that will be shown on CBS.

Yeah, so you're playing the Raiders twice within the month, right, so one month apart and this is the road one. So you think eventually the Broncos probably stub their toe. This feels like a bit of a stub their toe kind of game. But hey, the Raiders, as Ben said, this might be the beginning of the next era more so than established team at this point. But it's a late enough of the season. We're gonna know a lot

The AFC West.

It's probably a game you have to have and that includes sweeping the Raiders because the other one's a Thursday night game.

I think they're going to win this game. I mean, it's the Raiders. It's late in the season.

The Raiders are already a team that doesn't really have a ton of depth on top of all that, so unless they get really lucky with health issues at this point in the season, they're probably scrape in the barrel for defensive players.

And I suspect the Broncos will win this with that.

I know it's late in the season, but that could easily be a game with two outstanding rookie running backs and Ashton gent and r J.

Harvey, Oh yeah no, and then that's gonna be one of these storylines, right, I mean more so than Gino Smith. And I mean no, no offense to Gino, due respect, all due respect to Gino. Yeah, I think you're more considered about the running game. I think that's that's where you start with that team, and you you know, you talked about it for a while, but I mean the defense,

Yeah, it's uh, you know, I just think I think the Raiders are have the beginnings of something there, and I think if with Pete Carroll that in two three years they're going to be.

A very competitive football team.

But I think right now you're you're probably a few players on defense short of being where you really need to be too seriously compete.

The last four regular season games for the Broncos will have the team at home for three, which I think is really pretty pretty key for the Broncos as they wrap up that regular season, starting with the game at home and in Power Field at Mile High December fourteenth. You never know how the weather will be, but the team that comes in is used to playing in bad weather. Should it be that way in Denver, that is the Green Bay Packers a two to twenty five start on Sunday.

It's so hard to separate what we just saw from them in the postseason. Like for me, when I think back to Jordan Love in that postseason game against the Eagles.

And how bad he looked and how bad they looked. But they're a very good regular season tip and that was the Eagles, and that was the Eagles, right, So it was.

The team to play the Eagles the last game of the season, the last game of the postseason. That didn't look very good on offense either.

So it's hard to separate that out. I think Green Bay's going to show up here. They're going to be ready to go for this game. But that being said, it's at home and you got to win that game. So I like the Broncos winning this one. I still worry about the Eagles. Excuse me, the Packers pass catchers. I know they had it Matt Golden through the draft, but you know, typically those rookies take a little while to make an impact.

And then defensively, they didn't amost nothing.

They had a Nat Hobbs at the nickel who was a very good nickel corner, but they had they didn't do anything else on that defense.

It has not been particularly good.

I think Lafleur is a great coach on the offensive side of the ball will be coached very well, but I think it's an eminently winnable game for the Denver Broncos last three games after the Packers game on December twenty first, the Broncos will remain at home and face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Now, I know a lot of people, and I was one of them.

They thought Jacksonville would be pretty good last year and that didn't work out. How do we think Jacksonville just buy and large? What kind of season are the Jaguars looking at?

Duvall?

I have no bearing whatsoever on who they're going to be, but I'd say I'm a big Brian Thomas junior fan.

Like that wide receiver. He's legit, he's a good player. Yeah.

So they've got the makings of a good offense. They've they've They've definitely got some talent. It's just it's really about Trevor Lawrence, right, I mean, what do you see from him? How can the new coaching staff really impact him? And will he be the quarterback that they always thought he would be? Or at this point in the season, we're talking about December twenty first, At that point, are we saying that era is on its way out and.

They're gonna be looking. Liam Cohen's gonna be looking for a new quarterback. Well, we'll see.

I will say this, Denver has been Trevor Lawrence's kryptonite.

He's played him twice.

They've been the two worst games of his career in terms of yards per attempt thrown back in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two three point six yards perttempt in twenty one four point three and twenty twenty two. That was, of course, the London game where some intrepid reporter famously nearly broke his ankle on the cobblestone streets.

I won't mention him.

My name trepid, huh and trepid I but no, I believe it's a very wittable game again for the Broncos.

The Jacksonville may have the right coach. Now they might.

I don't know what Liam Cohen is as a head coach, but I will say that again, they've got a few pieces on offense, you don't know if the quarterback is the guy. And then on defense there's still lacking talent, Like they just don't have enough defensive talent to keep it.

Ooh, I love that that will live forever.

We want to congratulate a couple of folks that have won tickets. First, on our Instagram account, Danny Rodriguez has a pair of tickets to a game of your choice, a home game of your choice. Congratulations Danny. And on X it was Jesse van Meter who wins a pair of tickets to a Broncos home game coming up this year. Now, by the way, if you're the fifth caller right now at three three seven one three eighty two fifty five, you will win a pair of tickets to a twenty

Gonna be such a bear.

I mean, and that goes without saying, right arrowhead in December. We talk about this every single year. You just don't could be a tad big colds could be.

A bit of a cold.

It's Christmas night. What's the crowd going to be like for this game? And what's a stake like? That's the thing, Like, if the Broncos are doing what they hope to be doing at this point, if they're around ten wins going into this game, it's gonna be really fascinating because you have a chance to win this game and maybe win the division.

I have I have them at eleven wins, okay, going into that game.

I have been ten short week on the road in Kansas City on Christmas.

That's a tough ask. That's a tough ask for anybody.

I would not be counting on that being even though they may have that game circle because of what happened to Arrowhead last year. That's just that a tough ask to go on the road on a short weaight arrow ahead and win.

Yeah. I agree.

So the last game of the season, Ryan, you were mentioning the game in Kansas City could be a game that ultimately would decide who wins the AFC West, possibly who solidifies playoff position.

And I look at that as being true.

And then the next week exactly the same possibilities. The Broncos will wrap up their regular season schedule. It's a home game now. They haven't decided yet as to what day they will play this game on, but the Broncos' final regular season game will be played at home against Jim Harbaugh the LA Chargers.

They swatch your last year. You've got to find a way to get this one. We talked about. The other one is obviously Week three. Who knows kind of with that game early in the season, where these two teams are at at the end of the season, whatever your expectations are, you can't let the Chargers sweep you again.

It just can't happen. So this is this is going to be a win.

Uh yeah, It's gonna be a tough, physical football game to end the season. It will probably be on that Saturday, just kind of last year. You know, you saw how that was just to probably get moved to that Saturday and be more of a prime time even though it's not officially. If there's if there's something, if there's something to play for it, and then that's that's most likely what will happen.

At this point.

It's still it's least to his TVD on the schedule, but it'll lined up probably being that type of game again. Tough game, tough team, tough physical football team. It's funny every year when you when you tabulate these out, the running joke is everybody picks their team to finish ten and seven, right, because it's a safe number.

And you know, all of analyst don want to look stupid.

When I when I tallied this out, I ended up finishing out the Broncos the regular season at ten and seven, losing both those last.

Two games ten and seven. I have them at eleven and six, Ryan, what you have.

Man eleven and six as well?

Honestly, I think that that's the game gets you to eleven and six is that Chargers game at the.

End, and ten and seven, I should say, in a wildcard.

So I wanted to so let me who do you have one in the division? Kansas City?

Kansas City?

Okay? Uh it.

It is a little interesting that with the Raiders obviously played twice and the Chiefs played the Broncos twice, all four of those games come after come November sixth or later. So the last couple of games key and I'm not sure because they don't have the rest of the NFL team schedules. But the Broncos wind up their last two games in Kansas City and home against the Chargers. So a lot of things in terms of as AFC West supremacy could be decided in those last two weeks.

No question.

And again, you're gonna have a week and a half after the Thursday night game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. Hopefully you're feeling okay after that, depending on the outcome.

Now you come home and you got a week and a half off.

Before the Chargers.

I mean again, even if it's Saturday, it's still pretty close to a mini buy.

That's the one saving grace I think at that Thursday night game, that Arrowhead game is the fact that you do get the de facto by that extra time.

For the for the Chargers, I think that'll be good, and.

Especially if it ends up being a very consequential game, which you got to imagine because it's in the AFC West and the Chargers are probably not going to be a bad team this year.

It is going to be I think they could be the other wildcard team.

I honestly think that the Broncos, I mean, depending on how this plays out, especially with that Chargers game could finish second or third in the division and still get the wildcard, depending on how the Chargers play this year.

So you think there might be three teams again, just like last year from the AFC West to make the playoff.

I do.

I think the ANFC South is going to have one.

That's going to be whoever wins that mediocre division and then you look at you'll see the city. Yeah, the East you got one out of there.

I don't.

I'm not buying the Dolphins, Patriots, or Jets at this point. So really that comes down to the NFC, the AFC North, and that division cannibalizes itself a little bit. But you know who's gonna come out of there, and it'll be Baltimore and whoever else that comes out of there. So the Steelers probably probably, if we're being honest here, probably the Bengals and Browns probably missed out.

And so that's probably that would be my AFC prediction.

Last three minutes or so, as we wrap up our schedule release show with the Broncos, are you guys have the not that the games will count because they don't, but important in terms of evaluating talent, you guys have the preseason schedule.

Too, correct.

Yeah, So they're going to be at San Francisco for the first one, and that's going to be joint practices for the forty nine ers. They come home for Arizona, which is usually one of the games they play.

They usually the.

Final game they do in the preseason, but they're doing it in week two, and then the final one will be at New Orleans.

Wow, final final preseason game.

I mean, normally speaking, teams don't like to get out of plane and fly that far. But interesting, So at San Francisco, what's the weekend there?

They haven't determined the weekend, first weekend in August.

If I'm not mistaken, I'd have to go back and don't check that.

Yeah, three preseason games and again a lot of evaluation.

Oh yeah.

And the interesting thing now, and it's been that way for a while, you know. It used to be when they had four preseason games. Teams will play their starters in preseason game number three for maybe three quarters, and then in preseason game number four, hardly any of the starters played. Now with three some some teams subscribe to the theory of not playing the starters in the last which would be the third preseason game, but but quite a few still play their guys.

Yeah, and I think if you, especially if you got positional competition there as you're trying to whittle down to fifty three, you kind of want to get another in game.

Set of eyeballs on it.

The new formula seems to be one quarter for the starters and in the first game, a half for the starters in the second game, and the rest most of your your prime players in the third one. That seems to be kind of the new formula most people follow. What I'm interested in this, are we going to have joint practices with San Francisco out there in San Francisco or with Arizona here.

I don't think we will with New Orleans.

Out there in New Orleans, but any of the other team I'm wondering if we're gonna have joint practice scrimmage type stuff, you know, in addition to those games.

They are going to do that in San Francisco, Yeah, for sure. I don't I don't know whether they'll do it.

Or not.

That's all I mean.

It's tough to know, but I mean, you're right, it's going to be good evaluation time. And as you mentioned how much Bone's gonna play. I mean, house does he need to play to get tuned up for the season. And this is a team that is bringing back a lot of their core. So maybe the expectation with the Broncos is whatever tune up can be very small and then you get a chance to hit the ground running in the regular season.

All right, So again.

We have the Broncos with this schedule, and we will have the schedule up on our website. We have the Broncos or I had them eleven. I'm eleven and six or twelve six? Eleven and six? You had them eleven and six?

Correct?

Then you had him ten and seven because you have them losing the last two games, yes.

You have. You have the Chargers beating them at home. I do. I want you to rethink that position.

That is going to do it for our special schedule release on the Broncos Radio Network, and we hope you've enjoyed it and getting ready for some great football coming up this fall. It won't be long until it is here. We will say so long for Ryan Edwards and Benjamin al Right, I'm Dave Logan, thanks for being with us. You've listened to the Schedule release special on the Broncos Radio Network