JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The stakes weren’t just high on the football field during Monday Night Football. Local businesses across Jacksonville felt the rush, too, as fans flooded shops and restaurants ahead of the primetime showdown.

For Mathew Smith, owner of Sportsmania in Jacksonville Beach, the surge was both exhilarating and exhausting.

“I have been dripping sweat all day, hustling, trying to get all these amazing Jaguar fans geared up,” Smith said. “Thirty to forty people came in the front door in ten seconds. We’ve had a line at the register all day long. It has been insane.”

Sportsmania, a family-owned shop that has been sticking up Jaguars fans with jerseys and gear for decades, reported some of the biggest crowds and longest lines in years.

Smith said demand for vintage throwback jerseys and new logo merchandise was especially high, with many customers buying last-minute apparel before heading to the game.

“It’s just been an amazing response from the city of Jacksonville,” Smith said.

On the streets outside the stadium, the mood was electric.

Maxwell Twardowski, who traveled from Tampa for his first-ever Jaguars game, said the trip was absolutely worth it.

“I’m very excited to be here,” Twardowski said. “I think the defense is really the reason that we’re 3-1.”

Fans like Christian Zeidan, a Jacksonville native, reveled in the national spotlight.

“It’s Monday Night Football,” Zeidan said. “The whole country is watching this game tonight. There’s something different about the Duval atmosphere.”

Not everyone in the crowd was there for the Jaguars, though. Eight-year-old Luke, visiting from Virginia, was sporting Chiefs colors for his first professional football game.

“Go Chiefs!” he shouted.

But for most, the chant “Duuuvaalll, let’s go baby!” echoed up and down the streets.

Fans insisted that, despite the out-of-town visitors, Jacksonville pride was impossible to miss.

“There’s a lot of Chiefs fans here tonight and they think they can rule this city, but in reality Duval runs all,” a group of Jaguars fans declared. “We’re here, we’re proud, and we’re gonna scream.”

Smith, meanwhile, says Sportsmania is already restocking for another rush. More gear is set to arrive this week, and his team is gearing up for next Sunday’s home game.