ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the first time since 2010, the Broncos will open their season on the road.
Denver, playing in the final game of Week 1, will face the Oakland Raiders on the road on “Monday Night Football.”
That Sept. 9 contest and the rest of the Broncos’ 2019 schedule was revealed Wednesday evening by the NFL.
The Broncos follow their opener with a Week 2 home game against Head Coach Vic Fangio’s former team, the Chicago Bears. Denver has started each of the last six seasons with a 2-0 record, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
The Broncos then travel to Green Bay in Week 3, return home to play Jacksonville in Week 4, visit the Chargers in Week 5 and host the Titans in Week 6.
Denver’s only other scheduled prime-time game will occur in Week 7 when the Broncos host the Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football.” All “Sunday Night Football” games from Weeks 5-16, though, are subject to change. The NFL will set the Week 17 Sunday night game ahead of the season’s final week.
The Broncos have not beaten the Chiefs since a Week 2 “Thursday Night Football” matchup in 2015.
Ahead of a Week 10 bye, the Broncos will travel to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8 and then welcome the Cleveland Browns to Broncos Stadium at Mile High. The Browns beat the Broncos in a one-point game last season that eliminated Denver from playoff contention.
When the Broncos return from their bye week, they’ll face a road-heavy slate to begin the latter part of the season. Four of the Broncos’ first five games after the bye will be on the road as they travel to Minnesota (Week 11), Buffalo (Week 12), Houston (Week 14) and Kansas City (Week 15).
The Broncos faced a similar test last season after the bye when they played four out of their next six on the road. Denver won the first three of those games before falling in the next three as injuries piled up.
This year’s stretch of road games will be broken up by a Week 13 home game against the Chargers, whom the Broncos went 1-1 against in 2018.
Denver then concludes the 2019 regular season with a pair of home games. The Broncos will host the Lions in Week 16 at a date and time that will be determined following Week 8.
The Broncos will finish the regular season against Oakland. Denver split the 2018 season series against the Raiders, falling on the road while winning at home.
Four of the five Broncos’ preseason games also have set times. The Broncos will play the Falcons in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 1 on NBC at 6 p.m. MT. They’ll travel to Seattle on Aug. 8 for a 7 p.m. PT kickoff and return home for a Aug. 19 game against the 49ers at 6 p.m. MT. The Broncos’ game against the Los Angeles Rams does not yet have a date. Denver’s preseason finale against Arizona will be Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. MT.