Empower Field at Mile High will be very, VERY loud this Saturday. A fanbase starving for success and hosting its first playoff game in a decade? Denver will be rocking.
Here’s how the Broncos faithful are poised to play a major role in Denver’s divisional showdown with the Bills.
Home Sweet Home
For the past 25 years, Empower Field has been notoriously one of the loudest and most intimidating environments in the NFL. What makes it better for Denver is that they happen to play their best football when backed by their home crowd, something that is especially true this season.
The Broncos finished the regular season with an incredible 8-1 home record, their lone loss coming from the Jaguars back in Week 16. In nine games played at home, they’ve amassed 26 touchdowns. They are averaging 25.6 points per game — tied with the Bears, one of the NFL’s top teams.
Denver also has a third-down conversion rate of 40.8 percent at home this season, above the league’s average. The energy from the crowd will almost certainly impact this, especially considering Buffalo’s less-than-ideal statistics in away games this season.
Rough Road Buffalo
While the Bills excelled at home this season (7-2 record), they scuffled a bit on the road. Finishing 5-3 away from home suggests the Bills are reliant on their home turf. That goes the same for superstar quarterback Josh Allen, one of the main threats for Buffalo’s offense.
When Allen plays on the road this season, he doesn’t bring his best stuff. This year he threw six interceptions in eight road games, nearly averaging a pick per game. This is a massive advantage to Denver, whose secondary is already among the league’s best.
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Difference Makers
Denver’s secondary and defensive line seem to up their game at Empower Field, which is a huge advantage to the Broncos. Ja’Quan McMillian has played fantastic at home this season, notching three sacks. His total sack count on the season? Four.
While Nik Bonitto is already an elite threat on Denver’s defensive line, his play at home has been exceptional — 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Bonitto, along with the rest of the Broncos defensive line, can get to Allen early by riding the roaring city of Denver’s energy.
Bo Nix is another key Bronco that elevates his game at home. Nix threw for 2,268 yards this season, along with having a passer rating of 88.8 and 15 touchdowns. While his numbers don’t jump off the page like others, there’s one stat people cannot deny — clutch.
Nix has proved time and time again this season that he is one of the best clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. Any close moment, in need of a comeback, Nix is your guy. He’s already notched some impressive comebacks this season, including a 33 point fourth quarter against the Giants back in October. With Nix feeding off the home crowd, there’s no telling what Mile High Magic he can cook up.
It can’t all be good for Denver, though. Buffalo’s main offensive threat, James Cook, has been a beast on the road. He has 972 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games — undeniable greatness. The Bills 14 rushing touchdowns on the road this season is the most in the NFL. This is a statistic Denver should be well aware of.
Hungry Fanbase
The noise of Empower Field is undeniable — regularly reaching over 100 decibels, even the strongest teams tend to crumble under that pressure. The Bills have been a good team in terms of penalties committed this season, averaging six per game which puts them in the bottom 15. But with one of the loudest environments in football, the sound level could disrupt timings. This may result in a lot of false starts from Buffalo.
Head coach Sean Payton has praised Denver’s crowd noise all season long. Bo Nix compared it to having an extra player on the field. Nothing beats it — Denver’s fanbase is hungry. It’s been a long, grueling decade for Broncos fans. But now, they finally have their chance. They now go for revenge on Saturday, and look to take down the Bills.
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