April is arguably the most exciting month of a typical NFL offseason. Not only does the draft close out the month, but the next season’s schedule is released.On Tuesday, with the draft a little more than two weeks away, the league offered up a precursor to the full schedule release, announcing the preseason slate.
The Broncos will take on three NFC teams in the preseason, along with an AFC team they will see again in the regular season.
The Buffalo Bills will open up the 2011 football season at INVESCO Field at Mile High when they travel to Denver in Week 2 of the preseason. The Broncos will return the favor and fly to Buffalo at some point during the regular season.
The other preseason home game comes in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos hit the road in Weeks 1 and 4, playing in Dallas and Arizona, respectively. The Cardinals are the team’s second-most common preseason opponent, and the Cowboys are tied for third.
It marks the 14th consecutive year the team has opened the preseason on the road, extending the club record.
Head Coach John Fox, who holds a .528 winning percentage in the preseason as a head coach — coincidentally the exact same winning percentage the Broncos have in the preseason as a franchise — said he always looks forward to the exhibition slate.
“The preseason is an important time for us to evaluate our roster and get a better feel for our players,” Fox said. “It plays a big role in our regular-season preparation in terms of our timing and execution in all phases of the game.”
Denver has won at least one preseason game in every year but one — the club’s inaugural 1960 campaign.
The exact dates and times of each game will be announced later this month along with the team’s complete 2011 regular-season schedule.
“We are looking forward to competing against four quality opponents and getting the season started,” Fox said.
BRONCOS 2011 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Wk. 1 at Dallas (Aug. 11-15)
Wk. 2 vs. Buffalo (Aug. 18-22)
Wk. 3 vs. Seattle (Aug. 25-29)
Wk. 4 at Arizona (Sept. 1-2)
