Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock made his NFL debut on Sunday and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20. More than 19,000 fans who purchased tickets to the game didn’t show up.
The game was played on Thanksgiving weekend in cold conditions and Denver was 3-8 entering the contest so fan spirits were low. Still, 19,094 no shows is an alarming number.
“I thought that the crowd that we had there was great,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during his Monday press conference. “It’s become very evident to me how much the fan base here loves the Broncos and depends on them.
“Our previous home game against Cleveland, it felt like a playoff game — the atmosphere in the stadium, the electricity. It’s disappointing that there were so many no shows [today], but we’re happy that the ones that did come and we’re working hard to get the ones that didn’t come to feel better about coming.”
After turning the offense over to Lock and getting a win over a division rival, Denver seems to be on the right track toward winning back fans.
The Broncos will play at home in Weeks 16 and 17 to close out the year.
