DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Broncos had fans on the edge of their seats with their faces buried in their hands or peeking through fingers to see the latest drama on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos entered the fourth quarter against the New York Giants down by 19 points, and a loss surely on the horizon.
After 15 minutes of game time, what felt like a century, the Broncos somehow walked away with the 33-32 win, and by doing so, became the team that scored the most points in a fourth quarter after being shut out the first three, in NFL history, according to ESPN’s Senior NFL Inside Adam Schefter.
First touchdown
With 14:08 left in the fourth quarter, the Broncos finally got on the board, scoring a touchdown, after Bo Nix threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. That was followed up by a successful two-point conversion off a Nix pass to Courtland Sutton.
The score was 8-19, and the Broncos saw a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel.
Reality check
The Giants were quick to snuff out any attempt at a comeback and scored a touchdown, converted the PAT, bringing the score to 8-26 in their favor.
The Giants’ offense left the field, surely thinking they had confirmed the win, but in sports, the old adage goes, “anything is possible.”
Dreamers
Down 8-26 with five minutes left, the Broncos could have thrown in the towel, but there was no way they were sending the fans home with a loss.
At the 5:13 mark, Nix scrambled seven yards for a touchdown.
Another two-point conversion was completed, with Franklin on the end of a Nix pass in the endzone for the second time on the day.
The Broncos trailed 16-26.
The Broncos’ gridlock defense stopped the Giants’ drive in the blink of an eye, and Nix was back behind the ball in about a minute.
Another successful drive ended with a two-yard Nix touchdown pass to rookie running back R.J. Harvey. Kicker Wil Lutz nailed the PAT, and the Broncos were within a field goal to tie the game up, 23-26.
Yet again, the Broncos D didn’t give the Giants an inch of space, getting the Broncos offense back on the field in about a minute, after Justin Strnad intercepted a pass.
Not satisfied with a tie, the Broncos had another rapid drive that ended with an 18-yard rushing touchdown for Nix. Lutz hit the PAT, and the Broncos had their first lead, with only 1:51 left in the game.
A nightmare
Two quick stops by the Broncos had been crucial to getting ahead, but the Giants flipped the script and carried out their own fast drive.
The Broncos’ defense was crumbling, and before they knew it, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart sealed off the drive with what was called a zero-yard rush attempt short of the endzone, but after review, it was ruled as a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Giants led by two with 37 seconds left.
Don’t give them hope
Giants’ kicker Jude McAtamney missed the PAT, which would have put the Giants up by three, or in position to at least tie if the Broncos could get a late field goal, but the miss saw the Giants up by only two, with about half a minute left in the game.
Like a thief in the night
On the final drive of the game, Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr. for a 29-yard pass. The team sprinted forward, Nix spiked the ball, and left the game in the hands, or feet, of Lutz.
He hit a 39-yard field goal at the death to secure the win, 33-32.
After suffering the team’s only two losses by field goals at the death, this must have been cathartic for the Broncos.
The final whistle signaled the end of an emotional comeback that looked to have failed twice, and also marked the end of a historic comeback that left its mark on NFL history.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
