Denver Broncos 2021 schedule officially released

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos’ 2021 schedule, which includes nine regular-season home games for the first time in team history, was released by the National Football League on Wednesday.

Denver’s schedule features six games against 2020 postseason teams, with three of those contests set to be played at Empower Field at Mile High. In addition to playing their AFC West foes twice, the Broncos will be facing all four teams in the AFC North and NFC East in addition to the 2020 fourth-place teams in the AFC South, AFC East and NFC North.

Let's get it‼️ pic.twitter.com/jST8w90PXY

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 12, 2021

To start the season, Denver will play consecutive East Coast road games against the New York Giants (4:25 p.m. EDT, FOX) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 12, and Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. EDT, CBS) at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday, Sept. 19. It will mark the first time since 2003 (at Cin.; at S.D.) the Broncos have started the season with consecutive road games.

Denver, which has won seven of their last nine games in Week 1, is tied with Dallas for the league’s best all-time winning percentage in regular-season openers (39-21-1 / .648).

Denver will open at home in Week 3 against the New York Jets (2:05 p.m. MDT, CBS) on Sunday, Sept. 26, in the first of two consecutive games at Empower Field at Mile High. The following Sunday, Baltimore will come to town with the Week 4 matchup set to kick off at 2:25 p.m. MDT on CBS.

The Broncos will face the Steelers for the second consecutive season at Heinz Field in Week 5 on Sunday, Oct. 10 (1 p.m. EDT, FOX). Denver will return home to open AFC West play in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Oct. 17 (2:25 p.m. MDT, CBS).

On Thursday, Oct. 21, the Broncos will take on the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in their lone-scheduled primetime game of the season (8:20 p.m. EDT, FOX/NFLN/Amazon). Denver has won 11 of its last 14 games played on Thursdays and is 9-5 all-time when playing on Thursday Night Football.

In Week 8, the Broncos will host the Washington Football Team on Sunday, Oct. 31, at 2:25 p.m. MDT (FOX). Denver will face Dallas at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7 (12 p.m. CST, FOX), in Week 9 before hosting Philadelphia at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Nov. 14 (2:25 p.m. MST, CBS), ahead of the bye week.

The Broncos’ Week 11 bye is the team’s latest since the 2016 season. It is also the fourth time (1999, 2001 & 2016) since the bye was introduced during the 1990 season the club will play at least 10 games before the bye.

In five of the Broncos’ final seven games, the team will play against AFC West foes, beginning with a Week 12 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 2:05 p.m. MST (CBS). Denver will face Kansas City the following week on the road with kickoff slated for 12 p.m. CST on Sunday, Dec. 5 (CBS).

The Broncos will then return home to host Detroit (FOX) and Cincinnati (CBS) on Sunday, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, in Week 14 and 15, respectively, with both games slated to kick off at 2:05 p.m. MST. In the final three weeks of the season, each of Denver’s games will be against AFC West teams.

The Broncos will play the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week 16 on Sunday, Dec. 26 (1:25 p.m. PST, CBS), and the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 2 (1:05 p.m. PST, CBS). Denver will wrap up the regular season in Week 18 against the Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Jan. 9 (2:25 p.m. MST, CBS).

For the 2021 season, flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 5-18. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. In Week 18, two Saturday games and the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to Jan. 9.

Along with the announcement of the regular-season schedule, the NFL has revealed the Broncos’ 2021 preseason opponents. Exact dates and times for Denver’s three preseason games will be announced at a later date.

The Broncos will open the preseason with consecutive away games against the Minnesota Vikings (Aug. 13-14) and the Seattle Seahawks (Aug. 20-23). The team will wrap up the exhibition slate at home against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Aug. 28 (7:05 p.m. MDT kickoff).