Breaking down the Denver Broncos five primetime games in 2022

The Denver Broncos full schedule was released on Thursday night, and you can already see the effect of having Russell Wilson as the team’s new quarterback.

For the first time in a long time, the Broncos will be back in the national TV spotlight, with five primetime games in 2022. It happened regularly when Peyton Manning was the quarterback, but television network executives weren’t exactly scrambling to put the Broncos on in front of the masses when guys like Paxton Lynch, Joe Flacco and Teddy Bridgewater were the QB.

With that said, let’s dive into Denver’s primetime games and the juiciest storylines from each as we start to prepare for the regular season.

Week 1 at Seattle (Monday Night Football, 6:15 p.m. MST, ESPN)
– Wilson versus his old team is one of the most enticing games of the season, and we get it right off the bat. What will Seattle’s reaction be to their previous QB coming home? Will anyone dare boo him? Also, there’s a chance our old friend Drew Lock will start under center for the Seahawks. Throw in some possible bad blood between Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and Wilson and this game will be spicy.

Week 3 vs. San Francisco (Sunday Night Football, 6:20 p.m. MST, NBC)
– The 49ers are a team Wilson is very familiar with thanks to his time in the NFC West, even playing in a conference championship against them. And no matter who is playing quarterback for San Francisco, they’re one of the best teams in the NFC. The Broncos also signed D.J. Jones and K’Waun Williams away from the 49ers this offseason, so there’s some added motivation for two new faces in Denver.

Week 5 vs. Indianapolis (Thursday Night Football, 6:15 p.m. MST, Prime video)
– It’s a battle of two quarterbacks that played in the NFC for a long time, as Matt Ryan will lead the Colts into Denver against Wilson and the Broncos. It’s interesting that Denver’s Thursday night game is against a team they should be competing for an AFC playoff spot with. These games are usually ugly, but still supremely important. Mile High will be fired up for this weeknight battle.

Week 6 at Los Angeles Chargers (Monday Night Football, 6:15 p.m. MST, ESPN)
– Four primetime games in the first six weeks for Denver! Are you kidding me? The NFL world will get to see plenty of Wilson and Co. out of the gate and this showdown will be massive. Yes, the Chiefs are slight favorites to win the AFC West, but it wouldn’t shock anyone if the Broncos or Chargers ultimately took the crown. Justin Herbert is that good at QB for Los Angeles and this will be a big one early for both teams.

Week 14 vs. Kansas City (Sunday Night Football, 6:20 p.m. MST, NBC)
– Empower Field at Mile High might be the loudest its been since the AFC Championship in January of 2016 when this one kicks off. There could be that much on the line, with the AFC West title still likely in play. It will also be the first meeting of the year between the two, as the other doesn’t come until Week 17. Ending the losing streak to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs would be sweet — it would be even sweeter to do it on this stage.

The Broncos will also play the Jaguars in London in Week 8 (7:30 a.m. MST, ESPN+) and the Rams on Christmas Day in Week 16 (2:30 p.m. MST, CBS). While neither of those game fit the “primetime” label, they’re both special occasions. A lot of people around the country and the world will be tuned in.

Long story short, the Broncos will get plenty of exposure to all kinds of audiences this year — something that hasn’t been the case in quite some time.
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