By Aric DiLalla – DenverBroncos.com
DENVER — It may not have been over, but it sure didn’t look good.
The Broncos entered the fourth quarter without a point, trailing 19-0 to the New York Giants.
And even after they put points on the board to cut the lead to 11, the Giants answered right back. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Broncos trailed 26-8 and seemed poised to fall on a day when the organization celebrated the legacy of both Demaryius Thomas and the Super Bowl 50 champions. History, certainly, was not on their side; teams trailing by 18 points with six minutes to play had lost their last 1,608 games.
Cue the Mile High Magic — and a come-from-behind 33-32 win over the Giants.
“That’s going to go down in the history books, for sure,” tackle Mike McGlinchey said.
The Broncos responded to the New York touchdown with a 13-play, 74-yard drive to cut the lead back to two possessions — and their second consecutive score with a two-point conversion trimmed the lead to just 10.
On the ensuing third down for the Giants, inside linebacker Justin Strnad undercut quarterback Jaxson Dart’s pass and returned the ball to the New York 19-yard line. Five plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone and trailing by just three.
“That probably was the difference in winning and losing the game,” Head Coach Sean Payton said of Strnad’s interception.
Denver responded with another stop, and the momentum surged in the Broncos’ favor. A 31-yard contested sideline catch from Marvin Mims Jr. helped Denver convert a third-and-long, and tight end Evan Engram pushed the Broncos inside the red zone. On first-and-10 from the 18, Bo Nix ran off left tackle, cruised into the end zone and stared into the crowd as the Broncos took the lead.
This game, though, wasn’t done. The Giants converted a fourth-and-19 with the help of a penalty. A few players later, after Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga collided while seeking a would-be interception, a pass-interference call moved New York to the goal line. Dart dove in for the lead, but a missed extra point meant the Broncos needed just a field goal to win.
What’s three more points in a quarter in which you’ve already scored 30?
“We’re fighters,” Mims said. “We fought back and ended up winning. Being down that much and coming back to win, it says something about our team.”
Nix delivered strikes to Mims and Courtland Sutton — the latter on a play that was installed Saturday — to set up Wil Lutz’ 39-yard game-winning field goal. There was something fitting about the final completion going to Thomas’ former teammate.
“He’s one of the best receivers ever to play in the Broncos uniform,” tackle Garett Bolles said. “Watching ‘Court’ do his thing today just reminds me of so much of D.T. It was a special moment that we shared on the field together, because I always tell him that D.T. looks down on both of us, and that’s what he did tonight.”
There was extra meaning, too, if one looked. The late Thomas passed away at the age of 33, and the Broncos surged back with 33 points in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t even know how to score 33 points in a quarter,” Nix said. “That’s kind of insane, but it’s just whatever we had to get done and we did it.”
The Broncos’ 33 points are the second most in a fourth quarter in NFL history and the most in any quarter in franchise history. In the win, Nix became the first player in NFL history with two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a fourth quarter, and he’s tied for the most fourth-quarter comebacks (6) by any quarterback since the start of 2024.
“We just saved all our good ones for the fourth quarter, and they worked,” Nix joked after the game.
In a game that featured three lead changes in the final two minutes of the game, Denver became the first team since 1970 to overcome a deficit of 18 or more points with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter and win in regulation. The Broncos’ win also tied for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history.
And perhaps most importantly, they completed the comeback in front of Thomas’ loved ones and dozens of members of the Super Bowl 50 team.
“I think everyone in this building knew we were playing for more than just us today,” Lutz said.
Over the last four weeks, the Broncos have outscored their opponents 61-13 in the fourth quarter and won three consecutive one-score games. Through Week 7, Denver sits alone at the top of the AFC West with a 5-2 record and continues to boast the league’s longest active home winning streak.
“It’s super important to start strong, but it’s more important to finish strong,” defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers said. “That’s what we did. I think we’ve done that a few games this year. [In] the beginning of the season, we lost a couple close games [by] not finishing. Now, we’re 5-2 from finishing.”
Improbable. Unlikely. Damn near impossible.
Call Sunday’s result whatever you’d like. But also call it a win.
