Schedule will continue to test Broncos

ENGLEWOOD • The tough matchups don’t seem to stop for the Broncos.

Even after going 3-0 against the formidable trio of Dallas, New England and San Diego, the schedule remains tough. On Sunday Denver gets Baltimore, which is 3-3 but has lost its three games by a combined 11 points. Defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh comes next.

And between the Steelers game and the end of the season, Denver will play the New York Giants, San Diego, and road games at Indianapolis and Philadelphia. The Broncos understand they are in the middle of one of the NFL’s toughest schedules, but don’t pay it much mind.

“We really don’t look at all that,” running back Correll Buckhalter said. “Whoever we’re playing, we prepare for that and play 60 minutes on Sunday.”

The difficult road -- and the mental toughness it could breed -- might be beneficial for the Broncos in the long run. But it would go against coach Josh McDaniels’ philosophy to discuss ramifications beyond Sunday’s game.

“You just have to prepare for this team,” McDaniels said. “We’re not worried about what we’ve done or what we have to do after this game. This will take every bit of our preparation.

“They’re all tough. The challenges we face this week are different than the challenges we faced in weeks previous. And I’m sure the challenges after Baltimore will be different than Baltimore.”