2008 Denver Broncos Schedule

The biggest problem is deciding which game to go to?

What jump off the Broncos' schedule are all those road trips to Eastern Time Zone cities (New England, Cleveland, Atlanta, New York Jets, Carolina) and the number of visiting teams playing at Invesco Field at Mile High who Bronco fans don't often see in person (New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Miami, Buffalo).

1. Monday, Sept. 8, at Oakland 8:15 p.m.

For openers, Broncos will take on their old friends Javon Walker, Gerard Warren, Cornell Green and Cooper Carlisle. That's a lot of former Broncos starters. Could it be Al Davis is trying to emulate Mike Shanahan?

2. Sunday, Sept. 14, San Diego, 2:15 p.m.

The Chargers are clearly the team to beat in the AFC West. Denver should have no trouble getting up for this opponent after several Chargers players, most notably QB Philip Rivers, taunted the Broncos before, during a Christmas Eve meeting won by San Diego, 23-3.

3. Sunday, Sept. 21, New Orleans, 2:15 p.m.

The Saints have their share of marquee players, including Reggie Bush, Drew Brees and Marques Colston. Like Shanahan, Saints coach Sean Payton is a Chicago-area product who played quarterback at Eastern Illinois.

4. Sunday, Sept. 28, at Kansas City, 11 a.m.

The Chiefs will enter the 2008 season on a nine-game losing streak, two of which came against the Broncos. There is a chance the GM-head coach pairing of Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards are on the hot seat, although there is admission the team is rebuilding for 2008. If running back Larry Johnson returns completely from his foot injury, the Chiefs could be better than expected.

5. Sunday, Oct. 5, Tampa Bay, 2:05 p.m.

A return home for Broncos safety John Lynch. Although coach Jon Gruden has been quarterback-challenged in his first six seasons in Tamp Bay, the Bucs have reached the playoffs two of the past three years and won the Super Bowl following the 2002 season.

6. Sunday, Oct. 12, Jacksonville, 2:05 p.m.

For a non-division foe, it seems like the Broncos see a lot of the Jaguars. Quarterback David Garrard has a new contract and the Jaguars would be considered Super Bowl-caliber if they weren't playing in the same conference as Indianapolis and New England. The Jaguars physically beat up the Broncos in week 3 last season. The strongest element to their team is their tailback duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

7. Monday, Oct. 20, at New England, 6:30 p.m.

Dating back to 2001, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has won five of his last six meetings, including playoffs, against Pats coach Bill Belichick. The Broncos won 17-7 in their previous visit to Gillette Stadium in 2006 as Jake Plummer threw two touchdown passes to Javon Walker. The Pats have won their last 14 home games, including a 10-0 mark last season.

8. Bye

This is the Broncos' latest bye week since 2005, when they had the bye a week later.

9. Sunday, Nov. 2, Miami, 2:05 p.m.

The team The Big Tuna reconstructed will visit Invesco Field for the first time since 2004. The Dolphins finished an NFL-worst 1-15 last season, an abysmal performance that led to wholesale changes from ownership on down. The most notable move was bringing in Bill Parcells to run the football operations. Parcells had successfully turned around four teams as head coach - the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys. This is the first time he will run a franchise exclusively from a front-office chair.

10. Thursday, Nov. 6, at Cleveland, 6:15 p.m.

No longer are the Browns considered pushovers. Their defense is fortified by Shaun Rogers, who ran roughshod over the Broncos' offensive line while playing for the Detroit Lions last year. If quarterback Derek Anderson gets dinged, the Browns will be able to bring in Brady Quinn, arguably the league's most intriguing backup.

11. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Atlanta, 11 a.m.

For the first time in 15 years, the Broncos will have someone other than Jason Elam kicking field goals for them. Seconds after this scary proposition became official, the game at Atlanta became worthy of red letters to Elam and his staunch supporters. The feared scenario among Broncos is Elam running onto the field - Toro! Toro! - and booting the game-winning field goal as time expires. But who not Matt Prater, who kicked for the Falcons last year, returning to Atlanta to burn his former teammates?

12. Sunday, Nov. 23, Oakland, 2:05 p.m.

Bronco fans will be waiting for Javon Walker. Question is, by week 12, will his knee hold up so he's ready for Denver? Bronco fans can plan on getting first personal look at Raiders' QB JaMarcus Russell.

13. Sunday, Nov. 30, at New York Jets, 1 p.m.

The last time the Broncos played at the Meadowlands in 2005, they dominated the New York Giants the first three quarters and 5 minutes into the fourth. But in a foreshadowing of Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning led the Giants to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a game-winning toss to Amani Toomer with 5 seconds remaining. The Jets and Giants will move to a new stadium at the Meadowlands in 2010.

14. Sunday, Dec. 7, Kansas City Chiefs, 2:05 p.m.

One of the primary reasons why the Broncos signed strongside linebacker Boss Bailey: Stop Tony Gonzalez.

15. Sunday, Dec. 14, at Carolina

A return home for Broncos' new receiver Keary Colbert, this is a rare meeting between these teams as they've only played once since 1997. To rebound from its 7-9 season, Carolina is counting on a return to health by quarterback Jake Delhomme and defensive end Julius Peppers. Broncos' cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dre' Bailey will be tested in this game as the Panthers have a dynamic receiver duo in Steve Smith and D.J. Hackett.

16. Sunday, Dec. 21, Buffalo, 2:05 p.m.

The Broncos and Bills met in the season opener last year, a game dually remembered for the violent collision between Broncos kick returner Domenik Hixon and tackler Kevin Everett, and Elam's game-winning kick as time expired. None of those players will participate in this game. Everett would have been left paralyzed by the hit if not for pioneering medical treatment. Hixon was claimed off waivers by the eventual Super Bowl-champion New York Giants and Elam left for free agency and the Atlanta Falcons.

17. Sunday, Dec. 28, at San Diego, 2:15 p.m.

Another primary reason why the Broncos' brought in Boss: Stop Antonio Gates.