In one of the more truly unimaginable comebacks in recent franchise history, the Broncos clawed all the way back from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to down the Giants 30-26 at Empower Field on Sunday. Here’s The Denver Post’s report card of madness.
OFFENSE — A-
There was no better summation of the three-quarter hellscape that unfolded on Sunday at Empower Field than the Broncos’ second drive of the third quarter. On a shotgun snap, a handoff slipped out of Bo Nix’s hands, the quarterback falling on it for a loss of four. He then flat-footed a pass that was deflected. Then Evan Engram dropped a potential first-down catch-and-run on third down.
There was no better summation of the fourth-quarter miracle that unfolded on Sunday, by mirror image, than the Broncos’ game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. On third-and-11, Nix put all his arm and all his trust in a 31-yard back-shoulder bomb for Marvin Mims Jr., who just went up and nabbed it for a game-saving play. Two reps later, Nix saw blitz and — with a veteran’s cool — checked into a quick-hit to Evan Engram, who sped for 20 yards. A play later, Nix took a designed run for an 18-yard touchdown and sent a sea of orange into a frenzy.
Denver has gone completely cold for the majority of their last 12 quarters. But when they’re hot, they’re hot. Somehow, the Broncos put up 33 fourth-quarter points after hanging a goose egg through three quarters. And with 33 seconds left, they emerged again from an inferno of a ballgame, as Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr. and Courtland Sutton to set up a walk-off field goal. High marks for sheer clutch factor here.
DEFENSE — D+
Even the Week 2 loss to the Colts didn’t feel quite this ugly. In a truly rare sight for Vance Joseph’s defense, the Broncos suffered breakdowns left and right on Sunday. There was an early first-quarter heave from Jaxson Dart to tight end Daniel Bellinger for a 44-yard TD with nobody in the vicinity. There was a 31-yard touchdown run from Giants back Tyrone Tracy Jr. that went completely untouched. And a fourth-quarter catch-and-run from tight end Theo Johnson — on a pass that popped into the air off the hands of Wan’Dale Robinson — perfectly summed up the day, as Johnson put rookie corner Jahdae Barron in the turf for good measure.
After all that, somehow the Broncos found themselves needing a stop against a sputtering Giants offense late in the fourth quarter, a situation that Joseph’s unit has thrived in. For a time, they did. Until Riley Moss drew the pass-interference call of all pass-interference calls, a flag that moved New York from the 40-yard line to the 1. The Broncos escaped, but this was ugly.
SPECIAL TEAMS — B
It was a decent and heavy day for punter Jeremy Crawshaw, who let off one 61-yard punt despite only pinning two of his six inside the 20-yard line. Otherwise, though, Darren Rizzi’s unit missed specialist J.T. Gray, who went inactive in his first week after signing over from the Ravens’ practice squad. Mims had a nice 17-yard punt return, but rookie RJ Harvey got benched on kickoff duties after incomprehensibly stepping out of bounds on one return.
At the end, though, kicker Wil Lutz played the hero, nailing a walk-off 39-yarder through the uprights as time expired. Giants kicker Jude McAtamney missed two extra points. That was the difference as much as any other.
COACHING — B-
Nix had no juice early, with four straight incompletions to start, and Payton continued to struggle to find any flow as a play-caller for three quarters. J.K. Dobbins didn’t get going until the second half. Joseph had maybe his worst day of the year.
And still, Payton pulled a win from where the Denver sun doesn’t shine, throwing everything in his kitchen sink and then some at the Giants in a 33-point fourth quarter. The Broncos began isolating their playmakers one-on-one, and Nix took advantage. Denver, too, did an excellent job of playing fast but managing the clock in the fourth quarter.
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