The Denver Broncos have a checkered history in early-afternoon (11 a.m. MT kickoff) games, particularly ones on the East Coast. At least, a recent history.

Since 2015, the year they last touched the Lombardi Trophy, the Broncos are 10-16 across such contests -- a span that includes the infamous 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in 2023, and a 41-10 rout at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens during Bo Nix's 2024 rookie campaign.

Prior to 2015, the Broncos accumulated a winning mark (32-29) in early tilts, though even that was marred by some notable defeats.

Which brings the orange and blue to Sunday, when they'll be set to face the Panthers in Carolina in ... the 11 a.m. MT NFL window, the latter being the eighth time since Sean Payton took over as head coach.

The record thus far: 4-3.

The worry about it: nonexistant.

“It’s new because normally it’s been West, and so we’ll go out Friday night, get up on their time zone, get a workout, get a little practice in," Payton explained to reporters on Wednesday. "Then we’re kind of going here around Noon. So whatever it is, your spark or your coffee or let’s go. So fair question. We studied it and you talk to different people maybe that have been on the West Coast, and we spent time and then finally you have a win at Philly or there’s been a few of those and this year we’ve got... We were hoping to maybe get maybe a couple back-to-back out there, stay out there. It didn’t work out that way, but we’re not going to Europe. We’re going to Charlotte.”

The AFC West-leading Broncos have played three primetime games to this point, with the remainder in the typical late-afternoon slot. They have only one additional 11 a.m. MT kickoff left on this year's slate, a Week 14 road meeting with the New York Jets.

Tale of the Tape

Looking at things objectively, the time of this game really shouldn't matter. This is a matchup of an elite AFC club on a four-game winning streak versus a middling NFC squad that recently fired its defensive coordinator and benefits from being housed in the NFL's worst division.

Anything can happen. Any given Sunday. All that. But the popular "trap game" fears go well beyond the minute the opening whistle is blown. So long as Denver takes care of business, Payton's aforementioned record should climb to 5-3 -- and the Broncos' to 7-2.

“Generally, you have better teams and good teams can... You can’t be a yo-yo team and expect to win double digit win. You do the math," Payton said Wednesday. "So I think what you’re asking is the key to building a good football team and that would go all the way back to bringing in the right people, all those things, the right coaching staff and the right culture. Historically speaking, and I’m just going through my experience of having teams that it’s hard to win two, lose--it’s hard to do that and then turn around and look at the record maybe that you are wanting. Each one of the games is a different type of game. It’s like that old boxing analogy. There are certain fights for certain styles and I think that applies a little bit in our game in the NFL.”