SportsQuest
All games

Week 16, Fri, Dec 25, 2:30 PM local

Buffalo Billsat Denver Broncos

Empower Field at Mile High, Denver. Fly into DEN.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Early

Lots open before breakfast.

Lots open

10:00 AM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

Near the stadium

Tailgate from 10:00 AM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Bills are 3-0 after 3 games, 1st in the AFC East.

They have won 3 in a row.

They are 1-0 on the road.

The Broncos are 2-1 after 3 games, 3rd in the AFC West.

They have won 2 in a row.

They are 2-0 at home.

What we know about Empower Field at Mile High

Where visiting fans stay

From a specialist guide
  • LoDo / Union Station. RTD E or W light rail from Union Station to Empower Field at Mile High station, or a 1. 5-mile walk. Pick a hotel near Union Station. It is the end of the A Line from the airport. It is also where the E and W light rail lines start for Empower Field at Mile High station. One hotel covers both trips with no extra transfer. It sits 1.5 miles from the stadium, about a 30-minute walk. This is also where most of Denver's bars and restaurants are.
  • Downtown Denver / 16th Street. RTD light rail C, E or W to Empower Field at Mile High station. More hotels here than LoDo proper. Still on the light rail line. A bit farther from Union Station, but the same two-train trip from the airport works.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
There's no option to stay near the stadium. Sun Valley, the neighborhood around it, is parking lots, Interstate 25 and the South Platte River. No hotels, no bars. RTD and the stadium both plan on fans coming from downtown, not staying nearby.

Getting in from the airport

Checked at the source
Fly into DEN, Denver International. Take the RTD A Line straight to Denver Union Station, 37 minutes.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
Take RTD light rail C, E or W line to Empower Field at Mile High station. The station sits right next to the stadium. You walk straight from the platform in. Get off at Decatur-Federal station on the W Line. It's 0.3 miles from the stadium, about a seven-minute walk. Use it to skip the crowd at the stadium's own station after the game. Take the RTD A Line, also called the University of Colorado A Line, about 37 min. The A Line ends at Union Station. Transfer there to the E or W line for the stadium. Walk from Denver Union Station, about 30 min.

Tailgating

Checked at the source
You need a vehicle to tailgate at Empower Field. Tailgating is part of the culture here, but only in your own parking space, by your own car. If you arrive by light rail, you have no lot to tailgate in. Tailgating is banned in the carpool section of Lot A. Tailgating is allowed elsewhere. Use parking spaces only for vehicles.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: You can bring one small bag, no bigger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches, with or without a strap. Or one clear bag, no bigger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches. Diaper bags themselves aren't allowed, but diapers and wipes can go in an approved clear bag. Medically necessary items get checked at the gate. Call 720-258-3000 at least two business days ahead.
  • Re-entry: No re-entry, no exceptions. The A-Z guide states it in capital letters. If you leave, your ticket won't get you back in.
  • Prohibited items: Leave these at home: outside alcohol (you'll be removed on the spot), stainless steel or glass bottles, cans, coolers, thermoses, large umbrellas (small folding ones are fine), noisemakers, camera lenses over 6 inches, camera or binocular cases, backpacks and non-compliant purses. You can bring an empty clear plastic bottle up to 1 liter, a portable phone charger, and a one-piece foam seat cushion under 18 inches wide with no cover, zipper or pocket.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
No public tour runs on game days. The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame runs the stadium tour, not the Broncos, on scheduled non-event days. The operator notes some areas may be closed depending on stadium events. Empower Field at Mile High Stadium Tour (Colorado Sports Hall of Fame). Tours run on non-event days. Check the FareHarbor booking calendar to see if a tour falls on the Saturday before your game. Book at coloradosports.org through FareHarbor, or call 720-258-3537. Groups of 25 or more get a discount, book two weeks ahead. Adults 13-64 pay $52.43. Kids 6-12 pay $41.73. Seniors 65+ pay $47.08. Military with ID pay $47.08. Kids 5 and under go free, max two per paying adult. The tour runs 75 to 90 minutes and covers a half mile. It includes the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum, executive suites, locker rooms, and production areas. It is fully wheelchair and stroller accessible, with lift access. https://www.coloradosports.org/stadium-tour/

After the final whistle

Checked at the source
No official shuttle time is posted. RTD runs its normal train schedule after games instead of a special shuttle. It adds extra rail cars to the E and W lines on Broncos game days to carry more people, not to run more often. RTD tells fans to expect crowds. If the line at Empower Field at Mile High station is long, walk 0.3 miles to Decatur-Federal on the W Line instead. Rideshare is slower here, since pickup is a 15-minute walk away at Ball Arena.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Read this before you plan to leave by rideshare. Drop-off and pickup are not the same spot at Empower Field. You get dropped at the NE corner near Gate 5 on Mile High Stadium Circle. Pickup after the game is at the Ball Arena Rideshare Lot, 5th and Walnut Street, about a 15-minute walk east of the stadium. Fans who expect a pickup at the door end up walking in the cold anyway. Take the train instead.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • The Original Brooklyn's

    2644 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80204 (Sun Valley)

    This is the closest thing Denver has to a stadium-gate pub. It is a three-bar building, downstairs, upstairs, and a rooftop patio, right in the stadium's shadow.

    Away fans: mostly home fans.

  • Little Machine Beer

    2924 W 20th Ave, Denver, CO 80211

    This is the counterweight to Brooklyn's: a working Denver craft brewery, not a sports bar. It sits close enough to the stadium for a pregame stop, but calm enough to talk.

    Away fans: mixed crowd. It's a neighborhood craft brewery, so away colors won't stand out.

  • Jackson's LODO

    1520 20th St, Denver, CO 80202

    Jackson's is the big LoDo sports bar: a mass of screens, a large patio, and enough room to serve as downtown Denver's default pregame stop. It splits seating by team loyalty.

    Away fans: it welcomes away fans, with a back room branded Steelers Country.

Sidequests in Denver

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Tour100 points

    Empower Field at Mile High stadium tour

    75 to 90 minute guided walk through suites, club levels, locker rooms, the press center and the Hall of Fame museum. Adults $52.43. Broncos home games limit availability, so book a non-game day.

    $$. The day before. Bookable

  2. Eat65 points

    Mercantile Dining and Provision at Union Station

    Cafe by day, seasonal American restaurant by night, inside Denver Union Station. Same building where you catch the light rail to the stadium. Open Monday to Saturday.

    $$$. The day before

  3. Outing40 points

    Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus

    Hands-on kids museum by the South Platte, about a 15 minute walk north of the stadium. Open daily 9am to 4pm; under 1 free, ages 2 to 59 run $19.75.

    $$. The day before

  4. Landmark65 points

    Colorado Sports Hall of Fame museum

    Free museum inside Gate 1 on the stadium's west side, with inductee panels, a Broncos franchise exhibit and a kids zone. Closed on game days, so visit Friday or Saturday instead.

    Free. The day before

  5. Landmark65 points

    Larimer Square in team colors

    Downtown block between 14th and 15th streets, decked out in Broncos colors each fall, lined with restaurants and coffee shops. Short walk before the train to the stadium.

    Free. The day before

  6. Eat65 points

    Buckhorn Exchange, Rocky Mountain oysters

    Denver's original steakhouse, open since 1893, serving Rocky Mountain oysters, elk, buffalo and rattlesnake under a wall of taxidermy. Light rail stop sits across the street. Reservations recommended.

    $$$. 18 hours before kickoff

  7. Eat65 points

    Sam's No. 3 green chile breakfast

    Downtown Denver diner open since 1927, ladling out gallons of green chile a day. Get the green chile breakfast burrito. Opens 7am Sunday, two light rail stops from the stadium.

    $. 5 hours before kickoff

  8. Drink25 points

    Tom's Watch Bar, LoDo

    Downtown sports bar with wall-to-wall screens, calling itself Denver's Broncos football headquarters. Opens 10am Sunday for fans heading to Empower Field, shows AFC West rivals' games too.

    $$. 3 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  9. Tailgate65 points

    Mane Street festival area, south end

    Outdoor festival area at the stadium's south end, with activities, music, food and drinks. Opens three hours before kickoff, an hour ahead of general gates. Walk in from the light rail, skip the car.

    Free. 3 hours before kickoff

  10. Drink25 points

    Little Machine Beer, two blocks from the stadium

    Neighborhood brewery taproom at 2924 W 20th Ave, a short walk north of Empower Field. Open Sunday 11am to 10pm, parking runs paid on event days.

    $$. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  11. Ritual25 points

    Light rail from Union Station to the stadium

    Board the E or W line at Union Station, ride to Empower Field at Mile High Station, an 8 minute walk from the gates. RTD adds extra cars on Broncos game days.

    $. 2 hours before kickoff

  12. Ritual25 points

    Walk from LoDo over the river

    About 25 minutes on foot from Union Station, or one stop on the light rail. Either beats the car parks.

    Free. 1 hour 40 minutes before kickoff

  13. Photo25 points

    Ring of Fame Plaza and the Broncos Horse Fountain

    Steel monuments mark each Ring of Fame inductee, cast from old Mile High Stadium steel. Find them by the horse fountain outside the south end, behind the main scoreboard.

    Free. 1 hour 30 minutes before kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Empower Field at Mile High sits, and what you see from it.

Lower level, end zoneLower level, corner, home sideLower level, home sidelineLower level, corner, home sideLower level, end zoneLower level, corner, visitor sideLower level, visitor sidelineLower level, corner, visitor sideClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, end zoneClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, corner, home sideClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, home sidelineClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, corner, home sideClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, end zoneClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, corner, visitor sideClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, visitor sidelineClub level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats, corner, visitor sideUpper level, end zoneUpper level, corner, home sideUpper level, home sidelineUpper level, corner, home sideUpper level, end zoneUpper level, corner, visitor sideUpper level, visitor sidelineUpper level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Lower level100 to 135Club level (Level 3, United Globe Club) with the Level 2 suites and seats228 to 236 and 316 to 330 are the non suite, general seats on these levelsUpper level500 to 542Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.