CBS analyst JJ Watt and the network's top broadcast team are in Denver on Sunday for the highly anticipated AFC West clash, where the hometown Broncos face the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.

Watt, who was elevated to CBS's premier broadcast team full-time in early October following Tony Romo's dismissal, had hoped to take an early morning stroll to Empower Field at Mile High. However, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year found himself unexpectedly turned away at the gates of the Broncos' stadium.

The entire CBS team, including Russell Wilson and the rest of 'The NFL Today' crew, are stationed in Denver for the marquee matchup. Despite this, the stadium was caught off guard by Watt's unplanned pregame visit.

The longtime Houston Texans standout shared his story while speaking to Kyle Long during a Sunday morning broadcast.

"I was up early, daylight savings in the West Coast, so I did a walk at 6 am. and I started walking, and way off in the distance, I saw the stadium, and I was like, 'It's a beautiful day. Let's walk over there,'" Watt told Long during a live segment.

"So I walk over to the stadium, and I get there, and I don't have a credential because I wasn't planning on walking to the stadium. And they're like, 'Go through security,'" he continued.

"I do the face recognition, [and] it lights up green, I.T. says 'JJ Watt, welcome to the stadium.' So I'm like, "All right," I start to walk in, and they go, 'Sorry, sorry, you can't come in.'

"And I said, 'Why not?' They said, 'You don't have a credential.' And I said, 'I just scanned my face; I.T. said I'm in.' And they said, 'I'm sorry, we can't.'

"So an employee walks over and goes, 'That's for him onto the field.' And they're like, 'No, if he doesn't have a credential, he can't get in.' So, respect to the Broncos security staff, but I couldn't get into the stadium this morning, so I still haven't been."

The NFL rolled out facial recognition technology across most stadiums in 2024 for various security entry points. As a CBS team member, Watt should have received unrestricted access.

At least Long could make Watt crack a smile moments later on the live broadcast. "I tell you what-that's got to be the only person in the history of the universe to be able to successfully block JJ," he joked, getting a laugh from all on set.

Watt eventually made his way back to Mile High closer to kickoff.