Broncos' Four Toughest Non-AFC West Games of 2025

The Denver Broncos' 2025 schedule has finally been revealed. The Broncos have secured five primetime games, including Christmas night against the Kansas City Chiefs and a tilt across the pond in London vs. the New York Jets.

Denver will get to terrorize No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward in his NFL debut, which should be a great showcase to open the season. Outside of all the noise about how competitive and exciting the AFC West matchups will be, there are a handful of challenging matchups outside of the division that will test just how good the Broncos defense is and put pressure on Bo Nix, who is looking to make a leap in his sophomore season. 

Let's examine those crucial non-divisional games.

Cincinnati Bengals | Week 4 (MNF)

Bengals vs. Broncos was one of the most exciting games from the 2024 season, and they get to run it back in an early-season primetime slugfest. The Broncos' secondary fell short down the stretch, allowing 100-plus yards to both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and that can’t happen again if they wish to exact revenge.

Denver added safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron, which is a massive boost to the secondary and should slow down Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense. These two teams will continue to contend for AFC supremacy, and their matchup in Week 4 will have enormous ramifications for playoff seeding come January.

Philadelphia Eagles | Week 5

The Eagles are the defending Super Bowl Champions with a roster stacked at every position. Their defensive and offensive lines are ferocious, allowing them to dictate the flow of any game and break the will of even the best of teams, ask Kansas City.

Jalen Hurts has several weapons to throw to, including Devonta Smith, AJ Brown, and Dallas Goedert, all of whom will make life difficult for Vance Joseph and the Denver defense. Saquon Barkley will be the Broncos' downfall if their run defense hasn’t improved since their Wildcard loss to the Buffalo Bills, where they were bullied on the ground.

Houston Texans | Week 9

Texans quarterback CJ Stroud’s sophomore slump was partly because his offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowick, didn’t mix anything up offensively from his rookie year, and the offensive line was questionable at best. The Texans added two high-level Iowa State wideouts in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to an already impressive group of pass catchers, featuring Nico Collins and Christian Kirk.

Houston’s pass-rushing tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson will make Nix very uncomfortable. The Texans won a playoff game last year despite their many struggles, so they shouldn’t be taken lightly heading into 2025.

Washington Commanders | Week 13 (SNF)

We knew Jayden Daniels would be successful in the NFL, but no one expected him to take the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. Washington built the team around Daniels this offseason, trading for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafting Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. to fortify the offensive line.

Trading for Deebo Samuel to pair with Terry McLaurin makes the Commanders much more dynamic in the pass game. The scariest aspect of Washington’s offense is Daniels' ability to take off and use his legs to make defenders look silly, something the Broncos defense has struggled with in past years.

While Washington's defense doesn’t have much star power outside of aging Bobby Wagner and Marshon Lattimore, Dan Quinn always gets the best out of his squad, no matter who is on the field. 

The Takeaway

The Broncos already have their hands full with their division rivals, but there are plenty of obstacles outside their division. The Bengals, Eagles, Texans, and Commanders will push the Broncos to their limit and make the road back to the playoffs all the more daunting this coming season.