The Lead
Playing at Empower Field at Mile High in real life is hard enough for opponents, and now the same will be true in "Madden NFL 22."
This year's version of "Madden" is giving special home-field advantages for every stadium, and the Broncos' takes advantage of their unique position as the only team that plays at home with an elevation of at least a mile above sea level.
The effect in the game (and in real life, as well) is that players on the away team will have less stamina during plays.
Back in 2012, ESPN ranked Denver’s altitude as the fifth-best home-field advantage in the NFL.
"It's real," former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi told senior writer Greg Garber. "It affects you. The oxygen you're breathing into your muscles isn't the same. You feel yourself gasping."
The elevation's effects — in addition to the team's tradition of playing winning football — has made the stadium one of the most formidable for opponents over the past 50 years.
And now fans can get a feel for it themselves when they come to Empower Field at Mile High on "Madden."
Below the Fold
One of the players who could best take advantage of that home-field advantage is Von Miller, as he wears down opposing offensive linemen. After recovering from a season-ending ankle injury, Miller is expected to be back in full effect, and that makes him one of the nine most-anticipated players returning from injury for NFL.com’s Adam Schein. "There is no doubt in my mind Miller will be highly motivated and highly productive in the fall," Schein wrote. "Get ready for a vintage Von Miller season, especially given all the talent around him in Vic Fangio's defense."
