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Do you remember when the Denver Broncos hosted the season opener in 2013 when the Baltimore Ravens couldn’t get access to their own stadium due to parking issues? Can you imagine that happening in Denver? Me either! And thank goodness.
Thursday night the Broncos and Panthers open the 2016 season after a seemingly endless offseason. I have no idea (seriously, no idea at all) what will happen at that game. But I do know one thing. The Panthers are once again heavily favored to win. And I still like being the underdog.
TJ Ward also doesn’t mind being the underdog. Ward recently wrote a letter to Broncos Country that is the perfect thing to read in the unlikely case you are having a time getting excited about Thursday night’s game.
We ended last year’s season on top, now it’s time to start things off right.
It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be very loud. It’s going to be uncomfortable. Mile High — let’s make Carolina uncomfortable all night.
We’ve put the work in. We’ve keyed in on what we need to key in on. Now, it’s time to notice the looks, notice the personnel, anticipate and perform in front of the world on prime-time TV.
We’re confident because we’re used to this stage. It’s a new year, new season, and we’re a new team. But we’re better. You can be confident when your team is filled with elite players consistently trying to become the best. If you realize that no matter what, you can always get better, then you will never be overconfident. The Broncos never settle, that’s not in our locker room’s DNA.
You can read all of Ward’s letter here.
If you want to see all the broadcast maps for Week 1 you can see take a peek at 506sports.com. Patriots-Cardinals get the first Sunday night game and the Monday night double header is Steelers-Redskins and Rams-49ers.
The Denver Broncos are 4-1 verses the Caroline Panthers all-time. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30PM MT. You can also watch the game online via NBC Sports.