Mile High Sports

Broncos win in New Orleans by the skin of Will Parks’ shoes

Casey Light
Sean Payton, prospective head coach of the Denver Broncos

Thank goodness for white shoes. Were it not for Will Parks‘ shoes being the same color as the sideline, the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints game could have played into overtime with any outcome possible. Instead, Parks returned a blocked PAT for two points in the game’s closing moments to deliver a 25-23 victory in the Superdome.

This one went down to the wire, just as so many Broncos wins have over the past two years, and like those games it took a wild finish to bring home the victory.

After taking a 10-3 halftime lead, the Broncos allowed the Saints to storm back early in the second half, falling behind 17-10 with 3:59 to go in the third quarter. New Orleans scored on each of their first two possessions of the half, including one that followed Trevor Siemian‘s second interception of the game.

Turnovers were the name of the game for Denver, however, and the Broncos offense tied the game with a touchdown off a Michael Thomas fumble – New Orleans’ third turnover of the day. Thomas would fumble again in the fourth quarter inside New Orleans territory and Denver would convert it into a field goal to take a 23-17 lead.

Drew Brees wasn’t finished, however. Twice on the ensuing drive he found Brandin Cooks for huge gains, including the game-tying touchdown. First, Cooks beat Bradley Roby down the sideline for 29 yards with 2:45 to play and no timeouts. Four plays later Brees targeted Cooks in the end zone and the wideout came down with the tying TD through three Denver defenders. That’s when the real craziness began.

On the point after touchdown, Justin Simmons leaped over the New Orleans line to block the attempt. Will Parks scooped up the ball and ran virtually untouched down the sideline to convert the two points for Denver. Replay review showed that Parks may have stepped out of bounds, but the officiating crew could not see definitive evidence – thanks in part to those white shoes – and the play was upheld as called.

Siemian struggled in the second half, taking a beating by the Saints defensive line all game. He was sacked six times for 24 yards, three in each half. He was intercepted twice, both of which led to points for New Orleans.

Demaryius Thomas had a big day, scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Brandon McManus hit two field goals down the stretch after missing a 44-yarder early.

In the first half Denver looked like it had started to solve some of its offensive woes, but it was the defense (and some white shoes) that again had to buckle down and deliver the victory.

Here’s how the second half unfolded as seen through the eyes of the team at Mile High Sports, along with some of our favorite follows in the Denver media.

https://twitter.com/ToddRomeroTV/status/797905867987361792

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Polumbus/status/797909055721377793

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