{"id":683432,"date":"2026-01-17T04:44:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/683432\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T04:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:44:39","slug":"from-bills-bars-to-broncos-wings-playoff-energy-fills-denver-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/683432\/","title":{"rendered":"From Bills bars to Broncos wings, playoff energy fills Denver bars"},"content":{"rendered":"

DENVER \u2014 With the Denver Broncos back in the playoffs<\/a>, the energy around Saturday\u2019s matchup against the Buffalo Bills is spilling out well beyond Empower Field at Mile High, and into the city\u2019s sports bars, where fans on both sides are already turning game weekend into an event.<\/p>\n

\"Jeremiah<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Cascy \u2013 Traveling Buffalo Bills Fan<\/p>\n

At Jackson\u2019s LoDo<\/a>, a longtime gathering spot for Bills fans, it\u2019s \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d, just louder, earlier and with a lot more planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went to the Horseshoe Bar, and they said there\u2019s a Buffalo Bills backers bar, and they told us to come to Jackson\u2019s,\u201d said Jeremiah Cascy, a Bills fan who told Denver7 he has traveled to more than 150 road games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my 153rd road game,\u201d said Cascy. \u201cI believe the bills are going to win. I’m a little worried about our defense and that our receiving core is hurt, but we do have Josh Allen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another traveling Bills fan, known as \u201cMama J,\u201d said she\u2019s been texting friends to track down the best weekend events as Bills fans pour into town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not that great on social media, but I texted people and said, \u2018Where are the parties tomorrow?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jackson\u2019s staff told Denver7 they\u2019re preparing for a split-fan setup on game day, with Broncos fans watching downstairs and Bills fans gathering upstairs. Both floors will feature the anticipated match and will have DJs between game breaks.<\/p>\n

\"mama<\/p>\n

Mama J<\/p>\n

‘MAMA J’ meeting Lavonne and Joel Allen, parents of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, last week in Jacksonville at EverBank Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been a Bills fan for 58 years, since I was 11 years old,\u201d said Mama J. \u201cI found three Bills bars so far that I was told I should go to, but you can’t go to all of them, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

At Jackson\u2019s LoDo, buffalo wings, or \u201cBills Wings\u201d is their leading menu item. Superfans Cascy and Mama J got to try them and only made one suggestion that Jackson\u2019s quickly fixed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not blue cheese,\u201d said Cascy. \u201cIt\u2019s still good but, we should have told the waiter we wanted blue cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across town at Chopper\u2019s Sports Grill<\/a>, the playoff spirit is turning into a playful menu statement.<\/p>\n

Because the Broncos are facing Buffalo, the bar\u2019s general manager, Jonathan Engleberg, said they\u2019re temporarily dropping the \u201cbuffalo\u201d name altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019re playing Buffalo this week, we\u2019re not selling buffalo wings,\u201d Engleberg said. \u201cOn Saturday, we\u2019re going to be selling Broncos Blazin\u2019 Wings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jonathan<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Jonathan Engleberg – General Manager, Chopper\u2019s Sports Grill<\/p>\n

Engleberg said the recipe stays the same, the name is what changes, and the point is to show hometown pride during a rare home playoff moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all about the Broncos,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no better way to do that than making sure that one of your menu staples and wings represent your home team.\u201d<\/p>\n

For gameday at Chopper\u2019s Sports Grill, the playoff atmosphere is expected to feel more like a stadium than a bar, said Engleberg. Adding that fans are expected to start arriving hours before kickoff, with doors opening early to accommodate large groups.<\/p>\n

Chopper\u2019s recently upgraded its sound system and installed a massive LED video wall to enhance the game-day experience. Chopper\u2019s is also bringing in a DJ for Saturday\u2019s matchup, along with Broncos-themed decorations, including blue-and-orange beads and pom-poms. <\/p>\n

Engleberg said the goal is to create a full-day celebration for fans, before, during, and after the game.<\/p>\n

\"Becca<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Becca Morland \u2013 Broncos Fan<\/p>\n

For Broncos fans like Becca Morland, it\u2019s the kind of small gesture that matches the bigger mood around the team\u2019s postseason run, and the kind of place where the atmosphere feels like part of the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe camaraderie of all the fans here at Chopper\u2019s, it gets crazy, it gets loud,\u201d Morland said, later rating the wings \u201cfive out of five.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Broncos host the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Empower Field at Mile High, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"richard<\/p>\n

Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Richard Butler is a multimedia journalist who covers stories that have impact in all of Colorado\u2019s communities, but he specializes in reporting on small businesses and community heroes. If you\u2019d like to get in touch with Richard, fill out the form below to send him an email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DENVER \u2014 With the Denver Broncos back in the playoffs, the energy around Saturday\u2019s matchup against the Buffalo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":683433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2062],"tags":[232,99866,53,68544,99864,231,258,2426,19602,7,99865,6,359],"class_list":{"0":"post-683432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-broncos","9":"tag-broncos-blazin-wings","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalo-wings","12":"tag-choppers-sports-grill","13":"tag-denver","14":"tag-denver-broncos","15":"tag-denverbroncos","16":"tag-empower-field-at-mile-high","17":"tag-football","18":"tag-jacksons-lodo","19":"tag-nfl","20":"tag-playoffs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115908620915197482","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}