Jan. 16, 2026, 7:30 a.m. MT
Leading up to multiple games this season, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has implored fans to keep things loud during opponent huddles. Saturday’s divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills is sure to be electric, and Payton has a request for fans at Empower Field at Mile High.
“I keep saying this — for years we were conditioned to raise the noise level when they break the huddle,” Payton said earlier this week. “The noise level needs to be loudest when they enter the huddle. Can we do that collectively for 120 snaps — no, I just need it for half the snaps in the game. So say, 65 snaps of 10 seconds. That’s a huge advantage.”
Broncos players also expect a different atmosphere from anything they have experienced during the regular season.
“I expect it to be extremely loud,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “I expect it to be a great environment. Similar to what it’s been recently of the past several home games, but something tells me it’ll be kicked up a notch just because it’s got ‘playoffs’ on it. It’s a good team coming in. Good team, good fanbase. So I expect it to be a great environment. Saturday, normal kickoff time, it’s going to be a fun time.”
Cornerback Pat Surtain is also set to experience the first home playoff game of his career in Denver. “It’s going to feel good,” said Surtain. “I know the atmosphere is going to be crazy. The stadium is going to be rocking at Mile High, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s expected to feel this momentum, to understand what we’ve accomplished so far, but we still have to go out there and showcase that. I can’t wait. I can already feel the magnitude of it and how electric that stadium is going to be. It’s going to be exciting.”
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