New York Jets and Denver Broncos set for a hot one in Colorado
Denver has played host to some of the coldest games the NFL has ever seen, but if your team is lucky enough to draw a road game against the Broncos in September, you land on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Broncos home games in the month of September tend to feature high temperatures. Over the last 10 seasons, the average high temperature at September games in Denver has been 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the New York Jets storm into Empower Field at Mile High this afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS), temperatures are expected to soar even higher than that.
According to The Weather Channel, it is expected to be 85 degrees in Denver at kickoff, climbing up to a peak of 88 degrees around 3 p.m. local time.
If reached, 88 degrees would be the highest temperature ever recorded at a game in Denver played in Week 3 or later. The previous record was 87 degrees, set during a Jaguars-Broncos game on Sept. 29 in Week 4 of the 2019 season.
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While temperatures will be high, the weather is expected to be beautiful otherwise. Skies will be sunny throughout the game and there is a zero percent chance of precipitation. Winds will be coming in from the northeast at four miles per hour.
Situated exactly one mile (5,280 feet) above sea level, Mile High is known for the effects that its thin air can have on visiting players who are not used to it. This is a huge reason the Broncos have the third-best home winning percentage (.680) among active franchises since 1970.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is no stranger to the elevation. He was born and raised in Draper, Utah, which sits 4,505 feet above sea level. Wilson closed his collegiate career on an eight-game winning streak at BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium, which is 4,649 feet above sea level.
Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be playing just his second-ever game at this type of elevation. He never played a sky-high game during his collegiate career at Louisville, and his only NFL start in Denver came back in Week 4 of the 2015 season as a member of the Vikings. Bridgewater could only muster up 212 net yards of passing offense over 48 plays as Minnesota fell by a score of 23-20.
