The Denver Broncos (13-3) remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC as they prepare to host the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Sunday. Denver is tied with the New England Patriots at 13-3, but the Broncos hold the tiebreaker. With the Patriots hosting the Miami Dolphins (7-9), the path is simple for Denver: beat the Chargers and secure a first-round bye.
Ahead of the pivotal matchup, head coach Sean Payton delivered a clear message to both the Mile High crowd and the Broncos’ in-stadium production team, stressing that Sunday’s atmosphere needs to be all football, all noise. Payton made it clear that some of the usual scoreboard entertainment has no place in a game of this magnitude.
Payton sick of scoreboard gimmicks
Payton said he didn’t want to be disrespectful but was disappointed with some of the stadium features.
"No shell games on the scoreboard. No follow the Bronco head. Let's get this — when they're getting in the huddle, deafening," Payton said he wants to see from the fans. "And that's the 12th man. Truly, there can be no better. When (Texas) A&M coined that phrase, and then the Seahawks bought it from 'em, it really fits. That is what's so exciting about this game. And then, what a win in this game can do for the next couple games. And remember — granted, we were in a dome, but there's about four stadiums in this league that can be deafening. And I think ours in the last — beginning of Green Bay, we heard it. And so, they're an active part, if they want two more homes games. Right? And so, no quizzes. No 'Did you know?' No. None of that. That's stuff you do at the basketball games."
Broncos ready for loud environment Sunday afternoon
The Broncos are confident they’ll get that type of environment, especially given how loud Mile High has been recently.
"Our crowd has been one of the best in the world right now," tackle Mike McGlinchey said.
"The volume that we're operating with … is just absolutely out of control, and hopefully we can keep it that way as we move forward throughout the playoffs — and hopefully give them a reason to not have to leave Denver."