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The repeated stomping on the steel beneath my seat already had my legs feeling numb. With time in the fourth quarter dwindling, the Denver defense returned to the field. Surrounded by 76,000-plus Broncomaniacs, it was time for my quads to go back to work rooting for the orange and blue. After the visitor’s offense failed on consecutive attempts to penetrate the defensive front, a haphazard pass was snatched out of midair by the home team. The old-timers behind me went berserk, and I instinctively spun around to secure a couple of high fives. The game was sealed, and the Broncos went on to win another one.
Finally, Sundays in Denver have returned to a familiar rhythm. Light-rail cars heading up and down I-25 look like rolling seas of orange. The King Soopers parking lot thins by 1 p.m. and the local bars are full by 1:30. The Denver Broncos are having a season that matters again. The unwavering belief that started in the locker room has spread into the hearts and minds of the fanbase. A steady hum slowly builds during the week before culminating in a raucous explosion when the ball is teed up on Sunday afternoon. You can feel it in Larimer Square, across the suburbs, and even on the slopes.
What’s stood out about the Broncos season isn’t just the wins, but the way they’ve done it. With so many incredible late-game heroics, even the most casual fan has been sucked into the hysteria, recounting their personal rollercoaster of emotion on Monday to any coworker or pickleball partner who’s willing to listen.
Players and coaches have been open about how much the fans mean to them. Head coach Sean Payton has repeatedly pointed to the energy of the crowd as a competitive advantage. Veteran offensive tackle Garrett Bolles, one of the most emotionally driven players on the squad, summed up the gameday atmosphere by saying, “Fans were electric, the stadium was rocking, getting back to where it belongs.” And he’s right, that is where it belongs. The feedback loop between the fans and players has always been an important part of a Broncos game. But this season the passion is more intense than it’s been in a decade—or maybe even three, dating back to the Super Bowl seasons of the late ’90s.
Broncos flags fly from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope, even across state lines in Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico. Strangers strike up conversations with one another simply because of the orange and blue logo they proudly wear. They mention the Orange Crush defense of the 1970s or the Manning title run of 2015, that they Bo-lieve in this team like they did those other ones.
When nearly 77,000 people were shouting “D-Fense” in unison around me, Mile High (yes, I will always call it that) became a physical force, not just a sporting venue. The sound reverberated through the stadium and spread into the city, fueling chest bumps in bars and living room salutes as children learned about the team’s traditions from their parents and grandparents. It’s those shared emotions that lead to lifelong memories. The type of mental souvenirs I fondly look back upon when I was rooting for Elway and the Three Amigos in the ’80s.
So when you hear a “Go Broncos!” shouted from the distance, revel in the fact that you are part of a shared history, and Denver is a better place because of it.
The Denver Broncos square off against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday, January 25, at 1 p.m. at Empower Field. It will be televised on CBS. In Jarrett Stidham, we trust.
