Broncos to face Jets in London in ‘concert’ environment but Tottenham’s artificial turf might not be ideal

LONDON — For tips on Tottenham, Trent Sherfield is a man to see.

When the Broncos wide receiver takes the field Sunday against the New York Jets at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it will mark the third straight year he has played at the venue — with three teams.

Sherfield suited up for the Buffalo Bills in a 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and for the Minnesota Vikings in a 23-17 win last year over the Jets.

“I think really the only (bad) thing is just the (artificial) turf. The turf, that’s not our favorite thing to play on, I think, as a collective group,’’ Sherfield told The Denver Gazette on Friday about grass being a preferred surface. “But the facilities are super, super nice. The locker rooms are really, really nice. Honestly, I think that every NFL locker room should look like that.”

The stadium actually has two fields it uses. There is a grass soccer pitch that can be retracted and underneath it is the artificial turf used for NFL games and concerts.

As for the atmosphere at the 62,850 seat stadium, Sherfield called it unlike any NFL regular-season games in the United States. That’s because many who attend are simply football fans who don’t have a particular rooting interest in either team.

“It’s kind of like a concert, almost like just constant noise,’’ Sherfield said. “People are cheering (all the time) but it’s really cool. And at the stadium you see the fans are wearing different jerseys (of NFL teams). And they’re wearing old-school jerseys, so it’s pretty dope.”

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, left, watches as Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws during an NFL training session at Tottenham Hotspur training ground in London, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Fans come to the games in London wearing current and retro jerseys representing all NFL teams. Sherfield said he saw fans wearing retro jerseys of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew among others.

“Yeah, you’ll probably see like five Aaron Rodgers Packers jerseys, six Tom Brady jerseys from either the Bucs or the Patriots,’’ said Broncos tight end Adam Trautman, who played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the New Orleans Saints lost 28-25 to the Vikings in 2022.

Victor Osweiler, the cousin of former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, lives in England and was curious whether the jersey of every NFL team would be represented at a game in London. So Osweiler attended last Sunday’s 21-17 win by the Vikings over the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium along with two friends from the Denver area and they began counting jerseys before the game.

“The Broncos were easy,’’ Osweiler said of seeing a number of fans wearing Broncos gear at that game. “We found every team. The very last team we found checking was 15 minutes before the kickoff and it was the least-represented team, the Tennessee Titans.”

Osweiler said there also weren’t a lot of Houston Texans and Washington Commanders jerseys. But spotted were plenty of fans wearing jerseys of the former Washington Redskins.

Osweiler, who was decked out in London this week with a No. 17 Brock Osweiler jersey from when the quarterback played for the team from 2012-15 and in 2017, won’t attend Sunday’s game due to a previous engagement. But there will be ample Broncos jerseys on display and perhaps another one with “Osweiler” on the back.

As for the crowd noise, Trautman agreed with Sherfield about it being different from a typical NFL game.

“It’s kind of like a constant buzz,’’ Trautman said. “It’s not like super one-sided.”

The Jets are the home team, which figures to influence how the game operations staff will handle matters with scoreboard messages. So Trautman said “maybe (fans will) get loud when we’re on offense.”

Routine punts and kickoffs figure to get a good reaction. Sherfield said “they do cheer a lot for the kicking” in London.

“Obviously, with the soccer background, with the punting, the rugby, all that kind of stuff, the field-goal stuff. I feel like the special teams gets a little love over here because of the soccer background,’’ said Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who has been on the sideline as an assistant for four previous games in London, three with the Dolphins and one with the Saints. “It’s funny, any questions I’ve ever gotten from the English fans have been really directly related to the kicking stuff.”

Fans sing “Sweet Caroline” during an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Broncos defeated the Jaguars 21-17. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Broncos tight end Evan Engram also has been involved in plenty of London games. He told The Denver Gazette he feels “like a local” due to having played in five games in the city in the past three seasons with the Jaguars.

“The atmosphere on Sunday is going to be incredible, so both teams are going to be jacked up,’’ Engram said Friday.

Broncos coach Sean Payton, who headed the Saints for games in London in 2008 and 2017, has talked about how British fans have become more knowledgeable over the years about football. But he did note that he confused them a great deal in the waning seconds of New Orleans’ 37-32 win over the San Diego Chargers in 2008.

“In 2008, late in the game, we snapped the ball to (then Saints quarterback) Brees, and he turned and ran and threw it backwards through the uprights for a safety,’’ Payton said. “I think half the stadium didn’t know what the heck just happened. It was early in the process.”

Payton said those in London now are “true football fans.” But he said there still is a soccer-game feel.

“We’re going to hear some songs,” he said.

Sherfield did say the games are like a “concert.” So perhaps the fans will do some performing as well as plenty of cheering.