As the New England Patriots prepare to head west for the AFC Championship Game, they will find no shortage of support waiting for them in Denver. 

"There's a bunch of northeast people out here for sure," said Will Brewer, a University of Vermont graduate who grew up in Wayland, Massachusetts went to school in Weston and now lives in the Mile High City. 

Coached by Belichick during dynasty

Brewer's Patriots ties run deep. He said he was even coached by Bill Belichick on the same youth lacrosse team as Belichick's son during the dynasty years. 

"He was our head lacrosse coach. And that was like during the dynasty. So, he would bring, different players to the practices to talk with us and stuff, which was super cool," Brewer said. 

Brewer moved to Denver with his now wife after college and says the city now feels like home. 

"It's definitely home for us now and there's a big melting pot of people from sort of all over the country," he said. 

That melting pot grew significantly in the 2010s, when Colorado saw a boom of people moving in from other states, with more than 40,000 newcomers arriving each year. 

Among them are plenty of New England transplants who have held onto their Patriots fandom. 

"I was a fan pre-Brady, I remember watching a lot of [Drew] Bledsoe growing up and then obviously got to experience the golden years which is the best ever," said Kat Hess. "[This year] has been so exciting. I just feel like the magic is back. This just reminds me of Brady's early days where everything was clicking, people were coming together." 

Hess works in Denver as a head brewer but said she has never forgotten her Boston roots or her favorite team. A season ticket holder, she plans to be in the stands on Sunday, even as family loyalties clash. 

"My husband and I are huge Pats fans. His family are huge Broncos fans, so it's a big, big family rivalry this week," Hess said. 

Patriots Fan Club of Denver

Outside the stadium, Patriots fans will also be gathering at local bars, where New England faithful plan to cheer together. 

"We're officially sanctioned by the Patriots organization as a fan club. And it's just been a really fun, fun time," said Alex Raymond, the Worcester-born, Vermont-raised president of the Patriots Fan Club of Denver. 

He joined the club four Super Bowls ago, and says turnout for each of their watch parties has grown with the success the team has seen thus far. 

"We're pretty psyched. I was saying I'd be happy if we went eight and eight this year. But man, they blew my expectations out of the water," he said. 

The buzz around the Patriots has been noticeable even far from Foxboro. 

"I'll be walking down the street, walking around downtown and you'll have people running and screaming like, 'yeah, let's go Pats or Drake Maye.' And I'm just like, that's actually really cool to see that in Denver," said Pats fan Travonee Simelton. 

"We're going to win and we're going to win good. I'm going to be one of the few who are celebrating, for sure," said another fan Steven Dominguez. 

Despite the optimism, fans said they believe Sunday's game will be hard-fought, especially after attending games in Denver before.
Their top worries: the altitude and the crowd noise. 

The Patriots Fan Club of Denver is hosting a watch party for the game Sunday at Quad Side Tavern, about a 20-minute walk to the stadium.