Having home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs isn't just about being able to sleep in your own bed the night before a game. The Denver Broncos believe they have one of the best home-field advantages in the league, and for a plethora of reasons.
Everyone knows about the altitude in Denver, playing a mile above sea level. That advantage becomes very clear extremely quickly when teams are trying to make the adjustment to the thin air. But beyond the mile-high air, the Broncos' home-field advantage obviously involves the fans.
And once again, it's not just about having a record streak of sellouts and filling seats. It's all about the fans making so much noise that they shake the stadium, and make it impossible for the opposing team to have a clean operation. Head coach Sean Payton just recently gave fans attending the playoff game against the Bills a new directive and strategy for how they can help affect the outcome of the game.
Sean Payton wants Broncos fans loud during the Bills' huddle, not just after
"I think—I keep saying this—for years we were conditioned to raise the noise level when they break the huddle. The noise level needs to be loudest when they enter the huddle. Then can you do that… 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.”
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
It's a great point by Payton here. To force the Bills to have communication errors at the beginning of their huddle as opposed to when Josh Allen gets to the line of scrimmage where he might be able to use hand signals is extremely important.
The crowd has been so loud this season at Mile High that water bottles have routinely shaken in the press box. It's the type of volume you almost feel more than you hear, especially on the field.
And that is a major advantage for the Broncos. Typically, an offense will get to the line of scrimmage with two or three plays on the ready, and the quarterback is able to make adjustments based on what kind of coverage look he's recognizing. That becomes nearly impossible to do when you're unable to hear anything.
Not to mention, trying to yell at the right players for personnel groupings to get out on the field.
It's an area where Broncos Country can come through for the team in a big, big way as the 12th man on Saturday.