CINCINNATI -- The start of the 2015 season is still five months away, but that doesn't mean we can't begin breaking down the Cincinnati Bengals' schedule.

The NFL's official schedule hasn't been released yet, so we won't know the Bengals' official kickoff times and dates until sometime later this month. Despite that, though, we do already know who they will be playing and where.

So across the next several days, we'll examine each of those opponents in this really early series of blogs. Up first, the Denver Broncos:

2014 record: 12-4

2014 finish: Reached the AFC Divisional Round. Lost to Indianapolis, 24-13

Key losses: OT Orlando Franklin, LB Nate Irving, DT Terrance Knighton, TE Jacob Tamme, TE Julius Thomas

Key additions: TE Owen Daniels, OG Shelley Smith, DT Vance Walker

Series history:9-19

Last time vs. Bengals: Cincinnati won 33-27 last December in a Monday night game at Paul Brown Stadium.

Really early scouting report: As you can see above, the Broncos lost several key members of last year's AFC West championship team. Knighton, Franklin and Thomas are among the biggest pieces they'll be charged to replace. It's hard to pinpoint exactly who the Broncos will be at this very early stage of the offseason, primarily because they also have undergone changes on the coaching staff. John Fox is out and Gary Kubiak is in, giving this season a transition-year feel on the surface.

You can't count the Broncos out, though, because of the man they will have under center for a fourth straight season: Peyton Manning. Despite turning 39 last week, Manning showed few signs this past season of slowing down. While he was picked off twice late in the loss at Cincinnati, and was rather underwhelming in the playoff loss to Indianapolis, the future Hall of Fame quarterback is hard to overlook. To win this game, the Bengals will need to rely on the same formula that got them the 2014 win: timely defensive plays and a strong running game (Jeremy Hill rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown last December) against a defensive front that won't be as good without Knighton plugging the middle.