Broncos open preseason vs. Bears, regular season slate out late-April

For the second year in a row, the Denver Broncos will face familiar foe John Fox and the Chicago Bears on the road to kick off its slate of preseason matchups.

Last season Denver earned a 22-0 shut out at Soldier Field in Chicago in Mark Sanchez’s only start with the Broncos.

The veteran quarterback, who would eventually lose out on a starting role to first-year starter Trevor Siemian, went 10-of-13 for 99 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the game.

It’s the 20th time in 21 years that Denver’s started out the preseason on the road, and they’ll stay away in Week 2 when they travel to Santa Clara, California, to take on the San Francisco 49ers.

It’ll be the team’s first trip to Levi’s stadium since its Super Bowl 50 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016.

In the regular season dress rehearsal in Week 3, the Broncos welcome in Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

It’ll be the first time since 2008 that Green Bay and Denver have faced off in the preseason.

And Denver will wrap up its schedule on Thursday, Aug. 31, against another familiar preseason foe in the Arizona Cardinals. The two teams have clashed in 11 of the last 13 years in the preseason finale.

Exact dates for the first three preseason games will be released later in April along with the NFL’s reveal of the regular season schedule.

Denver has an all-time preseason record of 137-120, a .533 winning percentage, and has had at least a .500 mark in 19 of the past 21 seasons, including last year’s tally of 2-2.

Each of the club’s preseason games will be televised on KUSA-TV or KTVD-TV (9News and Channel 20) for local audiences.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.