How Broncos Can Win the Toughest Game on the 2025 Schedule

The Denver Broncos have a favorable schedule, even though it's tougher than last year's. Despite having the 15th-toughest strength of schedule, there are concerns about how the NFL structured the Broncos' two games vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs will be coming off a bye in the game in Denver, and the Broncos' trip to Arrowhead Stadium will come on Christmas Day, which is also a Thursday nighter. While both games will be challenging, the Broncos match up well with the Chiefs and have things going for them. 

The Broncos have a mini-bye week before their first game against the Chiefs in Denver. This is a winnable game, and if the Broncos are going to beat the Chiefs this season, Week 11 wil be their best bet.

In Kansas City on a short week in December? That may be too much of an ask for the Broncos.

However, neither of those games will be the Broncos' most challenging this season. That game comes in Week 5 vs. the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Let's examine why.

Early-Game East Coast Woes

Heading to the East Coast to take on the Eagles in an early game, traditionally, spells trouble for Denver. The Broncos have historically struggled in early East Coast games, and that hasn’t changed much under Sean Payton. They've only had five early East Coast games under Payton, and Denver is 2-3, but those three losses were terrible, back-breaking losses. 

The Broncos' two wins came last year in September against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets. The Jets game was played in inclement weather, with high winds and rain, but Denver eeked out a 10-9 win.

However, the Broncos did handle the Buccaneers easily the week prior, 26-7. The Broncos did exceptionally well in those games, but their opponents' combined record was 15-19, with the Buccaneers standing 10-7 and barely winning their division, as they had a disappointing season. 

Payton's three losses in early East Coast games are even more telling because the caliber of two of the opponents the Broncos faced was far closer to the reigning champion Eagles. The one that isn’t is the 2023 Miami Dolphins game. Yes, the historical 70-20 loss.

There's no need to get into the details of that one, as every Broncos fan had it seared into their memory indelibly. Plus, it was two years ago, and the other two losses were in 2024.

Trench Warfare

Denver's first loss in an early East Coast game in 2024 was against the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos were beat up, with some players on the defensive side of the ball missing the game, but the Ravens won in the trenches on both sides.

The point of attack is where the Eagles look to win games first, and then build it out from there. Denver allowed 41 points in Baltimore, while scoring only 10. 

The other early East Coast loss came in the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills. Again, similar to what the Eagles will look to do, the Bills controlled the game in the trenches from the first play to the last. The Broncos were healthy on defense but still allowed 31 points, while their offense scored only seven. 

As we get into the caliber of opponents, the Bills and Ravens games stand out as comparisons for the coming Eagles tilt, and for multiple reasons. While Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are better quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts is great, and he complements the Eagles offense well.

The bigger comparison is how Baltimore and Buffalo's offensive and defensive lines worked the trenches. Both games showed that, while the Broncos have one of the NFL's best offensive lines, they have some weaknesses that can be exploited, and the Eagles have the pieces to exploit those vulnerabilities, like the Bills and Ravens did.

Buffalo and Baltimore's offensive lines are big and physical, much like Philly, and they dominated the Broncos' defensive front. The Eagles have the same pieces to copy what the Bills and Ravens did, especially in the middle, and have it trickle out to the edge player, and dominate the trenches.

That could lead to the same kind of run game that killed the Broncos in Buffalo, with the Eagles having an even better running back in Saquon Barkley to take advantage of it. 

Reasons for Optimism

However, there should be optimism for the Broncos' chances in Philly. The Eagles lost some key players on both sides of the ball, and the game is early enough in the season that, knock on wood, the Broncos should be fresher than a later-season game and not dealing with injuries.

Denver had to fight for 17 games, which wore them down for the Bills game, and they were without a few key players in the Baltimore loss.

Denver also has the time to reflect on what went wrong against the Bills and devise plans to try and stop it. The Broncos don’t face an opponent before the Eagles that will force them to show their hand or any tricks up their sleeve, so they could surprise Philly in Week 5. 

Improved Roster

The final reason is that the Broncos improved in key areas to elevate their offense and defense compared to last year. While the Eagles also landed pieces, they took a step back with some of the talent lost, and they don't have clear-cut replacements to fill in and take over. The Eagles' core is intact, but the rest could take some time to gel together, leading to openings for the Broncos to exploit. 

There is also the possibility of the Eagles overlooking the Broncos. The timing of the game favors the Broncos because the Eagles have a brutal schedule to start the season, including a road game against the Chiefs and a home game vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 5 is the only home game for the Eagles in that four-game stretch, with Denver sandwiched between the Buccaneers and the New York Giants, before heading to Minnesota for the Vikings. The Eagles' focus could be elsewhere, opening the door for a Broncos upset. 

This is the Broncos' toughest game, but that doesn’t mean they can’t win it.