Broncos No. 1 in NFL on new Power Rankings from FOX Sports

The Denver Broncos have a much tougher schedule in 2026.

That doesn’t mean they can’t be the top team in the NFL.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports, the Broncos are still No. 1 in the Power Rankings after the schedules for all 32 teams were revealed last week. He had them in the same slot back in February.

Now that the full 2026 NFL schedule is out, here are @RalphVacchiano's final Power Rankings of the offseason ⬆️⬇️

Read more: https://t.co/NNiA3N1YLv pic.twitter.com/LdHkfrHTj9

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 17, 2026

“Their first six games are just terrible. But assuming they survive that, there is a real soft middle of the schedule that could put them on a real run from Weeks 7 to 15,” Vacchiano said of the Broncos.

Those first six contests are indeed brutal as Denver will start the season with Kansas City, Jacksonville, Los Angeles (Rams), San Francisco, Los Angeles (Chargers) and Seattle. All six of those squads could make the postseason, with four or five of them legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

It does get much softer after that for the Broncos as Vacchiano notes. Denver will face the likes of Arizona, Carolina, Las Vegas (twice), Miami and the New York Jets during that middle stretch.

“That should be enough for the class of the AFC, and a team that is motivated by the knowledge they should’ve been in the Super Bowl last year,” Vacchiano concludes.

It is nice to hear the Broncos be called “the class of the AFC” when some folks still aren’t buying that 2025 was for real. Denver did play a softer schedule last year, but they can only square off against the opponent in front of them.

To see the full Power Rankings from FOX Sports, click here.

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