Why the Broncos practiced on tennis courts ahead of Jets game

After playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, the Denver Broncos opted to stay on the East Coast leading up to their Week 4 game against the New York Jets in New Jersey.

The Broncos stayed at The Greenbrier this week and heavy rain from Hurricane Helene prevented the team from practicing outdoors on Friday. So Denver held its final walkthrough practice at the resort’s indoor tennis courts.

“Real quick, [we had] a little audible with practice,” Broncos coach Sean Payton explained after Friday’s session. “Everything went good. The facility is good. We got our work done, and we’ll leave here in about an hour and a half.”

Payton wasn’t bothered by the audible forced by the weather.

“It’s part of the deal,” Payton said. “I kind of like it. It was good. I didn’t realize they had this facility.”

The coach was then asked if he considered practicing outdoors in the rain.

“At first we did and then the change was made relative to the lightning forecast,” Payton said.

Overall, Payton said the team’s week at The Greenbrier was good.

“Everyone was great, hospitable,” Payton said. “Governor [Jim] Justice was over here today and [he] talked to the team. [I] can’t thank these guys enough. They did a great job. They’ve done this nine times now, so it went smooth.”

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). New York is considered a home favorite against Denver this week.