The Broncos’ path back to the playoffs runs through a handful of games that could shape everything about their 2026 season.
Denver has bigger goals than simply getting back into the bracket. The Broncos want another AFC West title, another trip to the AFC championship game and, ultimately, a shot at winning the Super Bowl. But before any of that comes into view, they have to survive the regular season, and a few matchups on the schedule jump off the page as the ones most likely to swing their postseason fate.
The first one that stands out is the Jaguars game. Denver lost to Jacksonville at home late last season, a defeat that put its hold on the top spot in the AFC in danger.
The Broncos managed to steady themselves and keep the No. 1 seed, but this rematch is the kind of game they will circle immediately. Early losses are easier to absorb, yet the Jaguars are expected to win the AFC South and could even be in the mix for the AFC’s top seed in 2026.
If Denver loses again, Jacksonville would own the tiebreaker, and that could matter a lot if another team takes the AFC South and the AFC West. Liam Coen’s “saucy words” for Sean Payton and the Broncos after Week 16 only add fuel to that early-season meeting.
The Chargers are another problem Denver simply has to solve. Since Payton arrived, the Broncos are 3-3 against Los Angeles.
Since Jim Harbaugh took over in 2024, Denver is just 1-3 against the Chargers. That lone win came in the 2025 season finale, when the Broncos had to play their starters to lock up the top seed in the AFC while the Chargers sat most of theirs.
A road win in that kind of divisional setting, especially in the toughest stretch of the schedule, would give Denver a cushion for the losses that are bound to come later. It would also send a message to the Chargers and the rest of the league, which still tends to judge the Broncos by their struggles against Herbert-led Los Angeles.
Week 8 also looms large because by then the playoff picture starts to take shape. The Broncos face the Chiefs for the second time by that point, and the stakes could already be clear.
A lot will depend on what happens in Week 1 at Arrowhead, but the second meeting could tell Denver a lot about where it stands. The Broncos could leave that stretch at 1-1, move to 2-0 and separate from Kansas City, or fall to 0-2 and put themselves in a rough spot.
However it shakes out, that game feels like a pivot point for their postseason outlook.
The back end of the schedule looks even harsher. The final three weeks are described as a gauntlet, beginning with the Bills coming to Denver looking for revenge after their 33-30 loss in the divisional round last year.
The AFC West and AFC East are expected to send multiple teams to the playoffs, and both Denver and Buffalo are part of that conversation. That means the Bills game could be critical even if the Broncos are only trying to stay in wildcard position.
In fact, there’s a strong chance Denver’s last three games all carry must-win weight in some form.
That stretch continues with another revenge game, this time for the Broncos. In Week 17, Denver heads to New England after the heartbreaking AFC championship game loss to the Patriots.
The road setting makes it even more difficult, and the consequences could be huge. The game could decide the AFC’s top seed, help settle a playoff spot or two and shake up the seeding picture across the conference.
A loss there could do real damage to Denver’s playoff chances, and depending on how the season unfolds, it could also feed the storyline around Bo Nix and Drake Maye.
Then comes the season finale against a divisional opponent, a game that could end up mattering just as much as the rest. It’s against the other top team in the division from a year ago, and as the source notes, Payton has had trouble getting past Harbaugh’s Chargers.
That final meeting could determine the division, or it could decide a wildcard spot. Either way, both Chargers games carry major weight for Denver, and not just because of the standings.
If Payton’s Broncos can’t beat Harbaugh’s Chargers with both teams’ starters on the field, the noise around this team is only going to get louder.
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