The Broncos’ first six weeks are brutal, but it’s time to embrace what that means

The NFL released the full 2026 schedule yesterday and it took all of about five minutes for Broncos Country to collectively catch its breath. Denver’s first six weeks read less like an opening stretch and more like a playoff bracket.

On a recent edition of the morning show on 104.3 The Fan, Mike Evans and James Merilatt walked through the early-season slate and addressed a fan base that appears to be bracing for impact. The schedule is as follows:

Week 1 – Chiefs in Kansas City
Week 2 – Jaguars in Denver
Week 3 – Rams in Denver
Week 4 – 49ers in San Fran
Week 5 – Chargers in LA
Week 6 – Seahawks in Denver

Of that group, the only team that failed to reach the playoffs last season is Kansas City. And that had far more to do with a Patrick Mahomes injury that derailed the Chiefs’ campaign than any fundamental deficiency in the organization.

It is, by any measure, a demanding opening stretch. And the anxiety across the fan base is understandable. But Merilatt had little patience for it.

“The more we talk about it, the more this first six-game stretch and everybody being scared of it, makes me mad,” he said. “Like, it’s time to put on our big boy pants.”

Evans agreed, though he framed it through a wider lens — one that placed the schedule in the context of where this franchise now stands in the league’s eyes.

“Folks, this is the neighborhood you’ve wanted to move into for the last decade,” Evans said.

He’s right. For years, Broncos fans endured irrelevant September kickoffs and forgettable mid-afternoon time slots. Those days are over. A 14-3 season and a trip to the AFC Championship Game fundamentally changed the league’s perception of Denver, and the schedule reflects that.

“The NFL is a behemoth, and this is what they do with their best, most marketable, most attractive teams,” Evans added.

This is the tradeoff that comes with success. The league doesn’t reward its rising teams with soft landings — it puts them under the brightest lights against the stiffest competition and asks them to prove they belong.

Denver wanted to be treated like an elite franchise. The schedule makers obliged.

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