DENVER — It was an early wake-up call for Broncos fans in Denver Sunday morning as the Broncos took on the Jets in London.
Local bars opened early to bring in fans for watch parties, including Stoney’s Bar and Grill, which opened its doors at 7 a.m. for the 7:30 kickoff.
Hundreds of fans packed the bar in downtown Denver, with staff counting 320 fans at halftime.
“It's great seeing all these people get out here this early in the morning,” said fan Richard Gocio. “The excitement, the people, are all here for the Broncos."
Laura Lavigne, a bartender at Stoney’s, described her early morning preparing for fans.
“I got here at 6 a.m. and everything was already bustling. I had to move some tables and chairs and get everything ready," she said. “We were expecting a lot of people to come this early. I think we're really, really happy with the turnout."
The early morning watch party featured an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and a pajama theme that some fans took very seriously.
“We got the robes and got the little slippers and everything,” said fan Sanya Maerschalk, excitedly.
“This is how we woke up”, added Jeff Maerschalk
And it’s a good thing for Jeff that the Broncos took home the win, because if not, “if we lose, she's going to make me gallop home,” he said.
Luckily for him, he didn't need to put on any horseshoes as the Broncos sealed an ugly 13-11 victory over the winless New York Jets on Sunday.
But even in the sea of orange and pajamas, some people didn’t quite get the memo.
“Well, the bartender right away told me I was in the wrong colors,” joked New York native Jerode Jamison.
But despite only being one of two Jets fans in attendance, Jamison didn’t let the Broncos Country intimidate him.
“We show up in our green, we show up. We be proud,” he said.
A Steelers fan also joined in on the early morning fun as he waited for his team to play later in the day.
“I told these guys, if I rooted for the Broncos all morning, they'd have to root for the Steelers,” said Devin Huschka
All in all, it's a good day in Broncos Country, with fans still coming down from the high of Sunday morning's win.
“This is as confident as I have been in the Broncos in 10 years, so I'm confident they're going to win the division,’ said David Calvo.
Though Calvo was a bit stressed during the game and said after the win he felt like he took a “sigh of relief,” he is very optimistic about the Broncos’ future.
“You know what? I'm actually saying, they're going to go to the Super Bowl,” he said.
