![\"DENVER](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TDP-L-BRONCOS-VIKINGSAO1_0257x.jpg\")
Fans hype up the Denver Broncos during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\nSean Payton couldn\u2019t help but take a crack at his old division rival.<\/p>\n
In Denver\u2019s preseason opener at Atlanta, the Broncos head coach was on his way into the locker room when he stopped for a brief chat with 9News preseason sideline reporter Cynthia Frelund. He talked about the action for a minute, then was asked about being back in town to play the Falcons. He glanced around at a maybe-half-full Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people dressed up as empty seats today,\u201d Payton said with a smirk before jogging off.<\/p>\n
The Broncos did not have the same issue in their two preseason home games.<\/p>\n
Far from it, in fact.<\/p>\n
The Broncos averaged 64,665 fans through the turnstiles \u2014\u00a0the actual raw data, not number of tickets sold that gets announced during games \u2014\u00a0over a loss to Green Bay and a win against Minnesota, marking the highest turnout for preseason games since 2016, when the club averaged 67,649. That summer, of course, Denver was coming off a Super Bowl 50 victory.<\/p>\n
Since the NFL moved to a 17-game regular-season schedule, teams have either one or two preseason home games per summer.<\/p>\n
Last year, Denver\u2019s lone home preseason game had 60,009 through the turnstiles.<\/p>\n
In 2024, the two preseason games averaged 57,684. That means this August saw an average of 6,981 more fans per home preseason game than two years ago.<\/p>\n
Fans hype up the Denver Broncos during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n
For reference, the average announced attendance for the two home games this summer was 75,733.<\/p>\n
That fan interest is the likely result of several factors. Naturally, going 14-3 in the regular season, coming within a game of the Super Bowl<\/a> and entering 2026 with championship expectations drives interest. So, too, does playing a team with national appeal like Green Bay. Preseason games are also more affordable to get to than regular-season games, so for some fans, it\u2019s the easiest way to get to a game.<\/p>\n Ask Payton, though, and such robust attendance also comes with tangible benefits.<\/p>\n When his viral comments about the Falcons came up after that game, he mentioned that his mentor, Bill Parcells, liked playing preseason games in Green Bay, for example, because there was usually a mostly full house and a game-like environment in which to test his players.<\/p>\n Payton felt the same \u2014 albeit at home rather than in a more hostile road environment \u2014 over the two weeks late in August.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great,\u201d he said after the finale against Minnesota. \u201cThey played that little guess-the-attendance thing (on the scoreboard,). It doesn\u2019t feel like a preseason game, so if I was an opponent, I\u2019d want to kind of play here.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re trying to get your players acclimated to what it would be like and I keep hearing about certain venues that are like that, but they were fantastic. It was good. Good environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are the five highest turnstile numbers at Empower Field during the preseason over the past decade. Each of the years listed featured two home games.<\/p>\n 2016 \u2013 67,649<\/p>\n 2026 \u2013 64,665<\/p>\n 2017 \u2013 64,445<\/p>\n 2018 \u2013 61,388<\/p>\n 2022 \u2013 60,496<\/p>\n Jaleel McLaughlin lands in Cleveland<\/p>\n Former Bronco Jaleel McLaughlin has a new home.<\/p>\n The running back signed a practice squad deal with Cleveland on Tuesday, marking the first time he\u2019s played for a franchise besides Denver in his professional career.<\/p>\n McLaughlin was waived Sunday and didn\u2019t sign with Denver\u2019s practice squad Monday, telegraphing the end of his tenure with the Broncos.<\/p>\n