The Denver Broncos rallied from a 19-0 deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring 33 points in the fourth quarter in a comeback against the New York Giants after Wil Lutz booted in a 39-yarder.
After an abysmal three-quarters of play, the Broncos kicked things into high gear in one of the most furious comebacks we have seen in recent NFL memory.
Broncos offensive issues disappear in fourth quarter comeback
The Broncos’ offense has been ugly, and it needed a cosmetic makeover. Whatever that entailed.
Sunday’s game showcased how rough Sean Payton’s unit has been, and that was evident from the start of this game. Payton opened things up by having Denver pass on three straight plays, leading to three incompletions and 14 seconds taken off the clock.
Bo Nix also struggled and looked like he lost his confidence after their first offensive series, and series after series, fans became tired of swing passes as boo birds littered Empower Field at Mile High.
In the first quarter alone, the Broncos offense had 43 yards on 19 plays. Their biggest play came on a Courtland Sutton 32-yard catch at the midway point of the second quarter, and the run game was nonexistent.
The Broncos got all the way down to the two-yard line of the Giants with a chance to put up points, but couldn’t get two yards on four plays, eventually turning it over on downs while trailing 13-0.
At halftime, Denver had 102 yards on 32 offensive plays. No rhythm or flow, just screens and swing passes, and no time for Nix to stand in the pocket without pressuring coming through the interior of the offensive line. The run game featured 12 total touches in the first half for J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, excluding a Marvin Mims 13-yard end-around.
Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post summarized the struggles perfectly, looking back to last week’s game against the Jets.
#Broncos last 14 offensive possessions dating to the second quarter in London last week:
1 FG
10 punts
1 safety against
1 TOD
1 Half endedSo three points for and two against the last 14 times Sean Payton's offense has had the ball.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) October 19, 2025
Payton preached in the offseason how much confidence he has in Nix, including saying that he’ll be a top-five quarterback in the league in the next couple of years, but how he called plays certainly didn’t indicate that, and that’s not entirely on Nix.
From a schematic standpoint, even the stuff Nix excelled at last season doesn’t seem to be something Payton is even running at a consistent enough rate — no bread or butter spread.
Even former Broncos QB Ben DiNucci tweeted and asked whether or not Davis Webb should start calling plays for the offense.
To open up the second half, Denver’s offense went three and out. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Then the fourth quarter happened. Denver clawed their way back into the game, trailing 19-0 going into the fourth quarter, Nix found Troy Franklin for a touchdown off a deflected pass intended for Courtland Sutton. Denver’s offense found life after the defense intercepted Jaxson Dart, and Nix led them on back-to-back scoring drives to cut their deficit to 26-23.
Denver’s defense got another key stop, and Nix marched the offense downfield into field goal range with 1:56 left, to the Giants’ 19-yard line, where Nix ran it in himself to give Denver a 30-26 lead.
After Denver’s defense gave up a touchdown with 43 seconds left, Nix found Marvin Mims for a big catch over the middle, followed by a huge backshoulder grab from Sutton, running down the field to spike the ball with two seconds left, setting up a Wil Lutz game-winning 39-yard field goal.
What a game.
Broncos D gives the offense life late
Denver’s defense came out with a lot of energy to start Sunday’s game, but the Giants’ offense halted it after Jaxson Dart found a wide-open tight end on a busted coverage for a touchdown, and suddenly the nerves kicked in.
With an offense that couldn’t produce yards or momentum, Denver’s defense had its back against the wall and maintained its aggressive approach, trying to get after Dart, but penalties extended New York’s drives, and several players got open against the soft spots of some of Denver’s coverages.
The Giants busted things open in the third quarter with a 31-yard touchdown to make it 19-0. Denver’s defense was on the field too long and too often, and while they struggled, they’ve carried this team’s water, but the buckets finally overflowed.
Tipped passes usually lead to interceptions, but in Sunday’s game, it led to the Giants scoring a touchdown to go up 26-8. But then Mile High Magic kicked in, with Denver getting several stops, and the offense capitalized.
Justin Strnad, turned the tide in the fourth quarter after intercepting Dart, helping the Broncos offense set up a scoring drive that ultimately made it 26-23 with three minutes remaining.
Denver’s D got another crucial stop, and Bo Nix and the offense scored to take the lead 30-26.
Needing to keep the Giants out of the endzone under one minute, Denver’s defense was penalized twice, including a roughing the passer call on 4th and 19, and Riley Moss was called for pass interference on the one-yard line, followed by a Sean Payton unsportsmanlike conduct call.
The Giants were on the one-yard line and punched it in, but Denver’s offense saved the day late with Lutz’ nailing the game winner.