The Lead
As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon, it felt like a storybook ending.
After falling short in two consecutive "win-and-in" games vs. the Chargers and Bengals on the road, Denver finished the regular season in dominating fashion, shutting out a divisional opponent to clinch the team's first playoff berth in nearly a decade in front of a home crowd.
And as quarterback Bo Nix circled the field high-fiving fans in the stands after the victory, he was determined to make sure Broncos Country knew the role it played in allowing the team to earn its 10th win and return to postseason competition.
"The fans deserve it," quarterback Bo Nix said following Sunday's win. "It's been a long time coming. They deserve it. They showed up. They were loud for us today. It's fun to do stuff like that."
While Denver was able to get the job done in front of a home crowd, defensive lineman Zach Allen knows the support of fans stretches far beyond the confines of Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos saw fans travel coast to coast to show their support throughout the season, often taking over stadiums and creating a home-field advantage even when the team was thousands of miles from home. For Allen, that made Sunday's victory at home even more special.
"That was also a big reason why I came here, was the fans," Allen said. "I was in Arizona, and it felt like every other fan was a Broncos fan when I was living there. They take over not only this city, but this country. The support they give us is huge, and we just want to reciprocate it. To be able to give them something they can be proud of is something we take great pride in, and we're very excited about that."
As the Broncos now look ahead to a wild-card matchup with the Bills next weekend, they will look to continue to use that support to earn a postseason win.
"It really was a cool moment walking off the field seeing how excited they were about the whole thing," Allen said. "So, hopefully we can make them proud this week."
