BRONCOS VS. BENGALS: MONDAY NIGHT PAYBACK IS COMING!

No game that appears on the NFL's official schedule release, being unveiled on Wednesday night, should scare the Denver Broncos. Now that the Broncos have entered the genuine contenders conversation, opportunities are being presented to make the statement wins they'll require. 

That means the extra air miles put in to face the New York Jets in London in Week 6 shouldn't be resented in the least; instead, embracing the grind will set a much more powerful tone. Still, the Broncos can stop short of high-stepping in the airplane aisle on the trip across the pond, as notable history reveals that it's not a good look. 

Make no bones about it, the road to mounting a far deeper playoff run will require finally winning the AFC West and bypassing the Wildcard variables. That unquestionably means the always tricky trip to Kansas City will demand hyper-focus and self-sacrifice from the Broncos, and even more so because it lands on Christmas Day.

Undoubtedly, Sean Payton and company will be happy to be home on Week 1 against the rebuilding Tennessee Titans, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is also bound to be licking his chops at getting the first shot at rookie quarterback Cam Ward. 

All very nice appetizers, as NFL.com's Adam Rank laid out his top 10 revenge games of 2025, he placed the Broncos squarely in the sights of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

"OK, so it might be kind of hard to see why the Bengals would want vengeance here at first glance; the teams have played just twice since Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020, and Cincinnati won both games, including in Week 17 last season, when the Bengals ground out an overtime win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive," Rank wrote. "This is actually about what happened the next week, when the Broncos beat the Chiefs -- against whom Cincinnati fans might also be holding a grudge, for resting a bunch of starters in that game -- to snag the No. 7 seed in the AFC and prevent Burrow and Co. from reaching the postseason. This is not to take anything away from what the Broncos did, going out there with their rookie quarterback and winning a bunch of games last season. But I also see why the Bengals would be miffed to miss a playoff trip during their window with Burrow, which could make this matchup pretty intense, especially for the fans."

Rank has made a very interesting choice, because in truth, it's the Broncos rather than the Bengals who will be out for revenge when the two teams meet again. Last time out in Week 17, Bo Nix very nearly outgunned Bengals superstar quarterback Joe Burrow in a primetime showdown for the Broncos' young signal-caller. 

Fast forward to this year's slate of games, and it could be suggested that falling just short in overtime will be something Nix will be itching to help reverse. Rumor has it, the Broncos will host the Bengals in Week 4 on Monday Night Football, putting Nix vs. Burrow under the national limelight yet again.

Last December, nothing the suddenly undermanned and listing Broncos defense could do vs. the Bengals was able to put the brakes on Burrow carving them up for 412 yards and four touchdowns. The damage done by Burrow may have done much to convince the Broncos that if they're going to run with the best quarterbacks, drafting standout Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron would be part of the solution.

Turning that tantalizing close-but-no-cigar narrative on its head, and giving the Bengals a bloody nose in the process, would set some new ground rules that would resonate through the rest of the league. The Broncos need to deliver a powerful message to their closest playoff rivals, one that will serve to underline just how focused they are about orchestrating a brutal AFC takeover.