Broncos' 3 Toughest Remaining Opponents—and One Sneaky Trap Game

This is a weird game, as it's one of the NFL's new forays into Black Friday. It's strange to imagine a Broncos football game being played on a Friday, but it's what the NFL wants.

The Steelers have exceeded expectations under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. His reunion with Aaron Rodgers, while far from the explosive heights the two reached at the height of their Green Bay Packers tenure, has borne fruit for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh leads a competitive AFC North division, and aside from a veteran quarterback, it has a top-ranked defense to hang its hat on, led by TJ Watt. The Steelers' defense ranks fourth in points and yardage. They're also tied with the Broncos with the fourth-most sacks this season.

The Broncos are different offense when they're on the road, especially against quality defenses. This is a game that looked far more forgiving before any football was played. As it inches closer, it's looking tougher.

But as a conference opponent, the Broncos will have to bring their A-game against the Steelers. That's one thing fans shouldn't doubt about Sean Payton's team: the Broncos can be relied upon to elevate their game against quality opponents, though they're not perfect, especially on the road.

Both of Denver's losses this season were stinkers on the road against opponents that are above .500 currently. The takeaway? Don't overlook this matchup.

Week 16: Buffalo Bills (7-1) | Christmas Day

If the season ended today, the Broncos would be the No. 2 playoff seed in the AFC. The Bills would be the No. 1 seed.

It feels like these two teams are on a collision course to decide AFC playoff-seeding supremacy this season. And after last year's divisional round matchup between these two clubs ended with a Broncos overtime win at Mile High that cost them Bo Nix, you can bet Buffalo will have its dander up for this one. But so will the Broncos.

Now, the next two weeks should be a breeze for the Bills, but that's the calm before the storm. They'll face the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots (road), Green Bay Packers (road), and Chicago Bears before traveling to Mile High for their rendevouz with the Broncos.

There's a good chance the Broncos will be in control of the No. 1 seed by the time they host the Bills on Christmas Day. But it's still sure to be a doozy of a matchup with big-time AFC playoff implications.

Josh Allen is still playing at the top of his game with Joe Brady as his first-year head coach — the same guy who's been calling the Bills' offensive plays for a few years now. The Bills can gash you in an number of ways on offense, whether it's through the air or on the ground with Allen and James Cook.

Defensively, though, the Bills are vulnerable. Jim Leonhard's first year as an NFL defensive coordinator hasn't gone swimmingly thus far, with some calls for the Bills to fire him. Brady has stuck with Leonhard, who served as the Broncos' secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the preceding two years.

The Bills are a juggernaut offensively, though, and that's allowed them to overcome their defensive foibles. Thankfully, this one is Denver, but it's going to be a dogfight.

Week 17: at New England Patriots (5-4)

The Patriots are above .500 currently, but they've got several tough opponents between now and their Week 17 home game vs. Denver. The Patriots are home against the Detroit Lions this week, followed by their bye.

The Patriots get a small Week 12 reprieve in the form of a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers, then it's back-to-back home games against the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, before going back on the road to face the Chiefs. Who knows what New England's record will be come Week 17, but the fact that it's a road game against another 2025 playoff opponent means all bets are off for the Broncos.

Nix would love nothing more than the opportunity to show how differently the AFC championship game would have played out if he hadn't gotten hurt. And you know Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and the Broncos' pass rush would love to balance the scales against Drake Maye.

Again, though, the Broncos can be a different team on the road. As it stands, the time and broadcast channel for Broncos-Patriots is currently to be decided, but if New England is still alive in the playoff hunt come Week 17, this game could get flexed to primetime, especially with the Nix vs. Maye storyline to bring in the eyeballs.

Potential Trap Game: at New York Jets | Week 14

Roll your eyes, but there are three reasons to be wary of this game. One, Nix has faced the Jets twice before, and both games were ugly, requiring fourth-quarter heroics, though he came out on top.

Two, it's an East Coast game scheduled for the NFL's early slate, and the Broncos haven't been great in those areas traditionally. However, under Payton, Denver has improved dramatically in early-start East Coast games, but it's a factor.

Three, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn knows Payton and his schemes and philosophies. Glenn played for Payton in New Orleans back in 2008 and he coached under him for five years as the Saints' defensive backs coach.

Glenn's familiarity with Payton was a big reason why the Broncos struggled against the Jets in England last year, escaping with a narrow 13-11 victory. Glenn's team is only 2-7 this season, and his future as the head coach is cloudy, but he'll have the Jets' dander up for the Broncos.

Geno Smith isn't blowing the doors down in his return to the Big Apple, but he's played an efficient brand of ball, with 2,078 yards and 12 touchdowns thus far. He's only been picked off three times. Statistically, Smith has had a better season than Nix (1,730 YD/11 TD/3 INT), though the Jets' schedule has been a complete softball compared to what the Broncos have faced.

After last year's experience across the pond vs. Glenn's Jets, I doubt Payton's Broncos will be overlooking them, especially on the road. But this game has some of the 'trappings' of an upset.