I laid all my current season win-loss projections, strength/weakness of teams, weather notes about the schedule, the history of in-conference games, teams/coaches coming off BYE weeks and solo night games, and estimated travel between games, etc., and dumped that all in my AI Frankenstein writer creation ‘AI-McGillidcuddy1’ and then asked him to give an NFL analyst take on each team’s schedule, using my data (not the NFLs), and using his created personality to do it.
I’m doing team-by-team each day of June, except two will post day one...and the strength of schedule rankings will rank one-at-a-time on RC Note’s every morning as well. ARI and ATL gets us started June 1st.
Here is unedited AI analysis of my schedule data from AI-McGillidcuddy1. Enjoy...
(by AI_McGillicuddy1)
Final Weighted Number
The Denver Broncos' True Weighted Strength of Schedule calculates out to a final percentage of 54.5% (0.544983).
The McGillicuddy Take on the Broncos' True 2026 Schedule
Look, if you take a look at how this calendar is structured, it sits at 54.5% on our weighted baseline. That drops Denver straight into a very hard schedule tier. There is absolutely no hiding from it. Now, we look at this Denver team and view them as a rock-solid, upper-tier squad. They have a ton of talent and are expected to be highly competitive, but navigating a calendar this top-heavy means they are going to be in a complete dogfight to secure their positioning in the AFC West.
Phase 1: Weeks 1–6
Because the opening six weeks carry an enhanced importance with the structural and psychological weight for early-season momentum, the league-makers did this team absolutely zero favors. They are thrown directly into a den of lions. They open the regular season on the road against Kansas City on a massive Monday Night Football showcase, host Jacksonville, and turn right around to host the Rams on Sunday Night Football. If that wasn't intense enough, they then hit consecutive, bruising road games at San Francisco and at the Chargers, before wrapping up the phase hosting Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
That is three standalone prime-time games and four matchups against premier, top-tier opponents out of the gate. For an upper-tier roster, this high-priority opening stretch leaves zero room to ease into things. If their defensive front gets leaned on too hard or they drop a couple of close division games early, that 3x phase weight means they’re going to be burning an immense amount of mental energy trying to climb out of an early fall hole.
Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) — Monday Night Football, Monday, Sept. 14 at 8:15 PM EDT
Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO), Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4:05 PM EDT
Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) — Sunday Night Football, Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8:20 PM EDT
Week 4: at San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, CA), Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 5: at Los Angeles Chargers, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) — Dome Game, Sunday, Oct. 11 at 4:05 PM EDT
Week 6: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) — Thursday Night Football, Thursday, Oct. 15 at 8:15 PM EDT
Phase 2: Weeks 7–12
Once they get past that opening firing squad, the calendar transitions into Phase 2, where the games carry twice the leverage. This middle block is a total mixed bag of regional travel and high-stakes divisional adjustments. They travel to Arizona, host their critical division rematch against Kansas City, and fly out to Carolina before sliding into a much-needed Week 10 bye. Right out of the break, they host Las Vegas and then head out to Pittsburgh for a highly anticipated Black Friday solo showcase.
According to our internal data on opponent quality, this is the premier runway on the schedule where Denver has to assert its dominance. Facing a string of mediocre or struggling rosters like Arizona, Carolina, and Las Vegas gives them a golden opportunity to string together a heavy run of victories. But navigating that short-week travel to Pittsburgh right after a division battle means they must maximize their efficiency to bank these crucial wins before the winter stretch hits.
Week 7: at Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ) — Dome Game, Sunday, Oct. 25 at 4:05 PM EDT
Week 8: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO), Sunday, Nov. 1 at 4:25 PM EST
Week 9: at Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC), Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 10: BYE WEEK — No Game, No Venue, No Time
Week 11: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO), Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4:25 PM EST
Week 12: at Pittsburgh Steelers, Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh, PA) — Black Friday Solo Showcase, Friday, Nov. 27 at 3:00 PM EST
Phase 3: Weeks 13–18
Phase 3 wraps up the regular season, and the schedule-makers cooked up a grueling logistical finish. Look at the road layout: the Broncos completely dodge any 3+ game homestands all season, but they get hit with a brutal closing stretch where they play three out of four games away from home between Weeks 14 and 17. They host Miami, hit back-to-back road trips to the Jets and Las Vegas, host a massive Christmas Day standalone holiday brawl against Buffalo, and travel to New England before finishing at home against the Chargers. That consecutive mid-December road trip is a massive physical hurdle right when roster depth gets tested to its absolute limit.
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO), Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4:05 PM EST
Week 14: at New York Jets, MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) — Back-to-Back Road Trip (Game 1), Sunday, Dec. 13 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 15: at Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV) — Back-to-Back Road Trip (Game 2) / Dome Game, Sunday, Dec. 20 at 4:25 PM EST
Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) — Christmas Day Friday, Friday, Dec. 25 at 4:30 PM EST
Week 17: at New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) — Winter Outdoor Game, Sunday, Jan. 3 (Time TBD)
Week 18: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO), Sunday, Jan. 10 (Time TBD)
Weather Factoids, Travel Logistics & Dome Tallies
Let’s look at the operational environments because it plays a huge factor in offensive timing and kicking. Denver plays a total of 3 dome games across the entire 2026 season:
- Week 5 at the Los Angeles Chargers (SoFi Stadium)
- Week 7 at Arizona (State Farm Stadium)
- Week 15 at Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium)
Aside from those scattered indoor tracks, the Broncos are heavily exposed to the outdoor elements late in the year. Following their Week 10 bye, they hit an extended, cold outdoor stretch, playing five out of their final eight weeks completely out in the freezing winter climates of Denver, Pittsburgh, the Meadowlands, and Foxborough. Because Denver is a physical, cold-weather outdoor squad, this late-season freeze isn't a giant warning sign—it's a massive home-field equalizer when hosting top-tier teams like Buffalo on Christmas Day. They completely dodge long-distance international flights, keeping their travel entirely domestic, but that December road density is the true operational factoid to watch. It's an incredibly hard, grinding layout, but a premium Denver roster has every tool needed to control its destiny.
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