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DENVER — Sports Authority Field at Mile High isn’t just a catchy name. The home of the Super Bowl champion Broncos sits 5,280 feet above sea level — exactly one mile into the sky. Gotta respect the attention to detail.
You should also respect the Broncos’ built-in home-field advantage at Sports Authority Field, especially early into the NFL season.
The thin air at that altitude has long plagued visiting teams, with that energy-draining effect amplified in Denver’s opening home games of the schedule.
Since 2000, the Broncos have lost their home opener just once (2011) and have failed to cover the spread only four times, with a 10-4-2 against-the-spread record (71.4 percent).
“There’s no question that playing in that Mile High altitude effects visiting teams and I believe it’s even more impactful early in the season,” said Peter Childs, supervisor of risk management for Sportsbook.ag.
“There isn’t a team out there in all the NFL that is in game shape — flat out nobody’s played a game. A few have played a half of football in Week 3 of the preseason, but even then that’s just preseason and lacks the intensity of a regular season game.”
The Broncos have won with ease in their home openers, outscoring opponents by an average of 28.8-18.9 versus an average spread of five points since 1985.
“I’m not saying these athletes and teams are not in shape, but there’s no substituting for being in ‘game shape’ and that takes a few weeks,” Childs said. “I fully believe the Broncos’ early-season success at home is directly correlated to teams not being as in shape as they are later on in the season.”
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