The NFL’s version of “Friday Night Lights” is coming to Denver in August.
The Broncos officially announced the dates and times for their 2026 preseason schedule on Wednesday, with a unique twist: all three preseason games will fall on Friday nights in August. Here is the organization’s finalized slate:
Aug. 14: At Atlanta Falcons, 5 p.m. MT
Aug. 21: Green Bay Packers, 7 p.m. MT
Aug. 28: Minnesota Vikings, 7 p.m. MT
All games will be broadcast on the Broncos’ television partner, 9News.
Denver’s preseason schedule has fallen all across the map since head coach Sean Payton took over before the 2023 season; 2024’s slate featured all three games falling on a Sunday, and 2025 brought Saturday matchups in August. This year’s schedule is the first time since 2023 that the Broncos have had a preseason game on a Friday, however, and the first time in Payton’s tenure that each game has landed on that day.
The Broncos don’t currently have any joint practices scheduled with Atlanta, Green Bay or Minnesota, a source with knowledge of Denver’s scheduling told The Denver Post last week. If that holds, it’ll be the first time in Payton’s tenure that the Broncos don’t hold a joint practice, after hosting the Rams in 2023, the Packers in 2024 and the Cardinals in 2025.
