This weekend, there will be plenty of bills coming out of the wallets of both Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills fans for the divisional round playoff game.

The first playoff game played at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday is expected to generate about $28.6 million in economic impact for Denver and support 180 jobs, according to a report from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

The Broncos are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, which gives them home-field advantage for the playoffs and the local economy. In short: Bo Nix is bringing the business.

“The City and County of Denver are positioned to capture a massive wave of one-time revenue that ripples far beyond the stadium gates,” the Metro Denver EDC report said.

Denver’s football team was lined up to go against the lowest remaining seed in the AFC: the No. 6 Bills. The game will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by CBS.

If the Broncos win, they will go on to host the AFC Championship. The big game that decides which team will go on to the Super Bowl and get front row seats to see Bad Bunny perform is expected to bring Denver a larger economic boost totaling $31.8 million, according to the EDC.

In total, Broncos’ playoff run could bring Denver a total of $60.4 million in net new spending, the report said, and support 380 jobs. Its effects will be felt across many industries, from lodging, food services, transportation and retail.

January is typically a slower season for Denver’s hotels and restaurants, but Saturday’s game will give businesses a boost. Plus, it’s a holiday weekend so some visitors may stay in town longer.

The game filters down and affects real people, said Hanna Scovill, senior economist and director of economic competitiveness at the Metro Denver EDC.

Some people will pick up an extra shift or make more in tips, she explained.

“I think about our Uber drivers and our Lyft drivers and our pedicab drivers who otherwise would have had a very slow weekend,” Scovill said. “Because of a game like this, we’re seeing them be able to make additional money.”

There’s also other benefits of the playoff games that are more difficult to calculate: community pride, tourists coming back in the future, word-of-mouth and more media exposure.

If the Broncos were playing their playoff games somewhere else, she said there still would be a positive economic impact as people go out to the bars and watch the game. But having it in Denver creates more energy and activity around the stadium, plus the boost in travelers.

The horde of Buffalo fans, known as the “Bills Mafia,” are also extremely willing to travel for big games, said Taylor Shields, a spokesperson for Visit Denver, the city’s tourism agency.

And Bills fans may also be more willing to buy tickets. The last time the Bills were in Denver was in 2020, when they played in front of empty stands due to the pandemic. This will be the first game the Bills play in Denver with fans since 2014, Shields said.

“We sure hope that Broncos fans keep their tickets to cement that home field advantage that Coach Payton is asking for, but if locals sell their tickets, plenty of Bills fans will want to buy,” Shields said.

The Maven Hotel at Dairy Block saw its bookings climb over the last week, said Jennifer Cottgias, the hotel’s general manager.

Last Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, the hotel had an average of 19% occupancy. But this year, it’s been more than 55% and it continues to climb as fans are seeking last-minute accommodations.

Prices for rooms jumped by 20% to 25%, Cottgias said. Though game day ticket holders can make up for that with the hotel’s 20% “Feeling Sporty” discount.

Other Lower Downtown hotels are also feeling the boost.

The Oxford Hotel booked nearly half of its rooms all within the last week. And the Crawford Hotel at Union Station sold more than two-thirds of its rooms in the same time period. Both are close to selling out, most likely because of footballs, a spokesperson for both hotels said.

“When we’re in situations like right now with the Broncos, hopefully soon with the Avs, we monitor these games on a daily basis,” Cottgias said.

It means getting the restaurants around the Dairy Block prepared, scheduling more staff and finding temporary hires and ensuring all the amenities are ready for the surge of guests. Because it’s the slow season and more staff are part-time workers, the general manager said the game allows them to give their employees more hours.

“Having these demand generators in these slow months are really important and impactful for our hourly staff who may not be receiving their 40 hours,” Cottgias said.

If the Broncos win on Saturday, she said they’re prepared to do it all over again. But they’re also ready for the disappointment in the case they lose.

“We’ve prepared so much to see these boosts this weekend and on the 25th,” Cottgias said. “But we’ve scaled back and said, ‘Hey, just live in the moment, let’s be present. Let’s ensure that this weekend goes well’.”