The Broncos will enjoy the fruits of their 13-3 regular-season record in 2005 when a quarter of their games next season are played in prime time.
They will open the season at St. Louis on Sept. 10.
Denver’s only Monday night game will be played Oct. 9 at Invesco Field at Mile High against Baltimore and former Broncos Trevor Pryce and Mike Anderson. Denver plays three prime-time games during Weeks 3-6.
The Broncos play Sunday night at New England on Sept. 24 and hosts Oakland in a Sunday night game Oct. 15. The Broncos play Thanksgiving night at Kansas City.
Denver is one of six teams with four prime-time games.
There is a chance the Broncos will play more Sunday night games. The league announced it will have a flexible schedule for Sunday games in Weeks 10 through 15 and Week 17.
“I’m excited by the schedule. We have a lot of prime-time exposure and that’s always nice,” Denver owner Pat Bowlen said. “It’s an attractive schedule.”
The Broncos, whose first home game is against AFC West rival Kansas City on Sept. 17, finish the season with two games at home. Denver hosts Cincinnati on Christmas Eve and San Francisco in the season finale on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s an opportunity,” Bowlen said. “We don’t have to travel at the end of the season, and that could help if we’re in the thick of things. Obviously, you always would rather play at home.”
Denver’s only road games in December are at warm-weather spots, Arizona and San Diego. The schedule includes games against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in Weeks 8 and 9. The game against the Steelers is a rematch of Pittsburgh’s 34-17 victory in the AFC title game.
“I’m excited to get another chance at the Steelers,” second-year cornerback Domonique Foxworth said.
Denver’s bye week, in Week 4, is its earliest since 1993.
“That’s probably the only thing I’d change if I had the opportunity,” Bowlen said. “The past few years we’ve had our bye week at the end of the bye schedule. But you can’t have everything.”
Denver’s preseason dates have also been set: at Detroit on Aug. 11, host Tennessee on Aug. 19, host Houston on Aug. 27 and at Arizona on Aug. 31.
Staff writer Bill Williamsoncan be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
