The Denver Broncos appeared to be as dead as a dinosaur after letting Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants run all over them for three quarters of their Week 7 matchup, but a ferocious comeback the likes of which the league has never seen before
Despite trailing 19-0 when entering the fourth quarter and 26-8 later in the contest, the Broncos came out on top in a 33-32 nail-biter that ended on a Wil Lutz game-winning kick. Both Sean Payton and Bo Nix had horrific exhibitions in the first half, but both of them turned it around just in time to keep Denver's winning streak alive.
Not only was Kevin Harlan's call of Lutz's game-winning kick classic Harlan in how grandiose it was, but he managed to sneak in a very interesting stat that underscores how truly impressive it was for Denver to pull a rabbit out of their hat in this game.
The Broncos became the first team in 1,603 tries to be losing by 18 or more points with six or fewer minutes remaining in the game and still come back to secure the victory. This was equal parts masterful gameplanning by Payton and Nix and a complete capitulation by Dart and the Giants.
Kevin Harlan has awesome call of Broncos' walk-off win
Everything that could have gone wrong for the Giants did go wrong in that fourth quarter. Dart could only move the ball when they were gifted penalties, the offense started to turn the ball over, and a defense that had the Broncos completely discombobulated for most of the game fell apart.
Nix put together another tough first half one week after an absolute stinker against the Jets, but he managed to come alive in the fourth quarter. While this way of winning is certainly not sustainable, the Broncos will be more than happy to take the wins in a very crowded AFC.
Despite their defense showing some cracks and Nix looking way too conservative early in games, Denver has somehow managed to claw their way to a 5-2 record after a trio of victories against their foes from the Northeast Corridor.
Dart should be commended for playing as well as he did in a very difficult environment against an elite defense, but his rookie mistakes came back at the worst possible time. Denver may not be a dominant team, but they proved that no lead is out of their reach when they start cooking.