The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 to claim the franchise's third Vince Lombardi Trophy. This means they will get the honor of raising their championship banner and playing in the NFL's season-opening Thursday night game.

All that is known about the game right now is the Broncos will host the game when the NFL kicks off its regular season on September 8th, 213 days from now.

The following is a list of the potential candidates that will travel to Denver and try and unseat the defending Super Bowl champions: San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots

Obviously there are some games on this slate that are more appealing than others. Underneath is a list of the three most likely teams to take on the Broncos on September 8th.

1. New England Patriots

There would be no better way to kick off the 2016 season than watching the Broncos take on the New England Patriots, who they narrowly defeated in the AFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl. 

While it doesn't seem likely right now, this could possibly be the last time we see Peyton Manning and Tom Brady renew their long and historic rivalry. Even if Manning decides to retire, the Broncos showed promise under Brock Osweiler (even though he is a free agent this offseason) Osweiler led the Broncos last year in the team's first game against the Pats, a game that the Broncos won in overtime, ending the Patriots undefeated season at 10-0. It would also feature the chess match between the Broncos pass rush which dominated in the Super Bowl and in the AFC Championship. Also this game would feature a matchup of the last two Super Bowl champions. 

This would probably be the NFL's top choice for the kickoff if it weren't for the NFL's appeal of the Tom Brady DeflateGate case. If the league wins the appeal against Brady, he could still be banned for four games next season. The NFL likely won't want to promote a game that is minus Manning and Brady.

2. Carolina Panthers

While these two teams don't have a lot of history and aren't even in the same conference, these are the two teams that met in the NFL's marquee event of the 2015-16 season, Super Bowl 50. And yes, the Super Bowl wasn't the best game in the history of football, but a big goal of the NFL's kickoff event is the marketing aspect of it. The Panthers will still be a great team with a tremendous defense that will still have players like Luke Kuechly and Kawann Short and a star quarterback in Cam Newton. The NFL's MVP remains on pace to be the face of the NFL for many years to come. 

With the Panthers getting play-making receiver Kelvin Benjamin back and the Broncos with some free agents, there will be major question marks for both sides. Kicking off the 2016 season with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl would usually be a no brainer.

3. Indianapolis Colts

This game does depend on the potential return of Manning. Andrew Luck's return from injury would offer a good plot line. The Colts' wins over the Broncos the past two years give some gumption to the rivalry and would offer talking points for Denver coaches. The Colts' win over Denver last season ended Denver's quest for an undefeated season at 7-0. The surprising return of Chuck Pagano would also be something to watch.

But this is a Colts team that lacked talent last year and the chance of a blowout could be too great for the NFL to make this the opening game. 

-

The NFL will have a boatload of good games to decide from and there is no doubt that whatever team they choose to oppose the Broncos, millions of people across America will tune in to see how the Broncos will begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions.