Sean Payton preps for one of the hottest Broncos games ever

When the Denver Broncos take the field on Sunday in Santa Clara, they’ll be playing in one of the hottest games in franchise history.

The forecast for the San Francisco 49ers home game calls for 94 degrees under mostly sunny skies with the area boasting a heat warning, according to the National Weather Service. Friend of Denver Sports and 9News weather guru Chris Bianchi shared that the game will be one of the five-hottest in Broncos history and could wind up in the top three.

Broncos forecast kickoff temp on Sunday at the 49ers is 92°, which would make it a top-5 hottest Bronco game on record, home or away. @Broncos pic.twitter.com/wed1xmtIPK

— Chris Bianchi (@BianchiWeather) October 2, 2026

“92 (degrees), yeah,” Sean Payton said on Friday. “The old stadium was by the water and could get real cool this one is about 45 minutes away. We’ll have all the plans in place.

Aside from the heat, Levi’s Stadium is known for how bright it can be — particularly on the visitors’ side. As the team escaped the city they’re named for they overlooked a few factors about the move inland, ending up with a stadium that is famous for baking its fans.

The Broncos in all their equipment might have some slight relief though, Susie Wargin shared from the Broncos home opener a picture of the sideline at Empower Field. There is now bench shading in Denver, per an NFL policy, she said. One would have to assume this carries over to Levi’s, where this is also a known issue.

Sun or shade, it’ll be hot for the Broncos and 49ers.

Whoa! So much for teams putting visitors in the glaring sun: per a new NFL policy, the Broncos are debuting bench shading today (home & visitors benches). League protocols are intended to standardize shading to ensure competitive balance and prevent fan viewing obstruction. 😎… pic.twitter.com/MXBvHmYRXE

— Susie Wargin (@SusieWargin) September 20, 2026

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