Denver Broncos fans are ecstatic that Super Bowl LIX ended with Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs in a 40-22 blowout. The Eagles embarrassed Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, both of whom had one of the worst games of their careers.

While we’re only a day removed from the big game, there’s already much speculation on who the Eagles will face with to open up the 2025 regular season. One of the teams on Denver’s 2025 regular-season schedule, as an away opponent, is Philadelphia.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra has asserted the Broncos as one of the best options to face the Super Bowl Champs in the season-opener, likening them to another young upstart team that burst onto the scene two years ago.

“Two years ago, the NFL trusted a young, up-and-coming Lions with the opening game against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. It worked out splendidly. The league could take a similar path with the Bo Nix-led Broncos. Sean Payton’s squad took a step forward with Denver’s first playoff berth in nine seasons. The Broncos are an underrated up-and-coming squad. They boast an excellent defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year winner Patrick Surtain, Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, etc. A rising offense under Nix has the potential to explode next season with the right parts. We also can’t go wrong with Sean Payton on opening night,” Patra wrote.

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A Broncos matchup with the Eagles could replicate the electric tilt between the Chiefs and Detroit Lions. The Broncos are a young and dangerous team that made the playoffs when most media outlets projected a five-win season.

Nix is coming off a prolific rookie campaign, setting franchise records with 29 passing touchdowns and 10 wins with a largely inconsistent offensive cast. Sitting under the Payton learning tree, there’s little doubt that Nix will reach new heights in 2025.

It would be a great experience to go into a very hostile environment at Lincoln Financial Field and work under that pressure. The Eagles’ defensive line is ferocious, and it would be the perfect test for the Broncos’ offensive line, finished as Pro Football Focus‘s second-best unit just behind Philadelphia. Philly’s secondary will also significantly threaten Denver’s passing game, allowing Nix to step up and display his pre-snap analysis and arm talent. 

The Broncos retained defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who revived a defense that would go on to set a new franchise record of 63 sacks and produced the first Defensive Player of the Year in Denver since Hall-of-Famer Randy Gradishar in 1978 — Patrick Surtain ll. With most of the defense being retained and with another year of continuity, it’s not a stretch to project the Broncos could field the best unit in football in 2025.

The Broncos cornerback trio of Surtain, Riley Moss, and Ja’Quan McMillian duking it out with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, who says no? It would also feature another strength-on-strength battle between the Eagles’ massive offensive line against the Broncos’ young ascending defensive line. Could the Broncos fill the gaps to stop Offensive Player of the Year Saquan Barkley? Sounds like a ratings draw to me. 

The NFL could find a similar spark in the Broncos to what they did with the Lions two years ago. Putting a young, upstart team like the Broncos front and center in Week 1 against the Eagles would make for an intriguing matchup with the potential for an incredible upset and star-making performance. 

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