The Denver Broncos found a way to come up with a bizarre 25-23 victory on Sunday that you had to see to believe.

The Broncos led by as many as 10 points in the first half against the New Orleans Saints, but in the game’s final minutes, it felt as though they would be coming home with a loss.

Denver got off to a rare quick start, with the offense putting together a 13-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to start the game.

And after two interceptions by Darian Stewart, the Broncos held a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

But the Denver offense struggled to bury the Saints when they had the chance, and in the third quarter, New Orleans took a seven-point lead.

The Broncos would rally to tie the game early in the fourth quarter, and two late field goals would give them a 23-17 lead, with less than three minutes to play.

It took less than two minutes for Drew Brees to lead a game-tying touchdown, but when the Broncos blocked the extra point and returned it for two points, it would be Denver escaping with a victory.

The Broncos got contributions from a number of players on Sunday, but none bigger than those from some of the more unlikely names on their roster.

Darian Stewart

Of course, some of the biggest plays from Sunday’s game may have come from safety Darian Stewart, who intercepted Brees twice and returned a Saints fumble to set the Broncos up with good field position.

The Denver offense turned those three takeaways by Stewart into 10 valuable points.

Since signing with the Broncos last season, he has been a valuable part of this Orange Crush defense.

Stewart may not be a household name, but he was the MVP on Sunday.

Jordan Taylor

After spending last year’s Super Bowl season on the practice squad, Taylor has earned a spot on the active roster this year.

It hasn’t always been an easy adjustment for the second-year wide receiver out of Rice, as he had just five catches going into the game, but on Sunday he found a way to grab two receptions and his first NFL touchdown.

On the opening drive for the Broncos offense, Taylor outdueled a Saints defensive back, and came down in-bounds for a 14-yard touchdown to give Denver the early lead.

Jared Crick

With Derek Wolfe sitting out with an injured elbow, it was unheralded defensive lineman Jared Crick that forced a late fumble by Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. T.J. Ward would recover the loose ball, and the Broncos would kick a field goal three plays later.

The forced fumble was the perfect example of why John Elway pursued Crick in the offseason.

A short pass downfield might mean a chance for some rest for many defensive linemen.

Not Crick.

He hustled after the play, and made the big hit to knock the ball loose.

Jared Crick’s workmanlike effort gave the Broncos an important possession when they needed it.

Shaquil Barrett

The Broncos had tied the game up at 17 early in the fourth quarter, but Drew Brees was getting the ball back, and he had been scorching hot.

The Saints had scored on three of their last four possessions, and Brees had thrown for 156 yards, in just over a quarter of playing time.

But on third and five at the New Orleans 30-yard line, Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett came up with the Broncos lone sack of the day.

Barrett dropped Brees for a 10-yard loss and the Saints would be forced to punt.

The Broncos would go on to kick a field goal on their ensuing possession.

Justin Simmons and Will Parks

Who else could it be?

It looked like the Broncos were headed for a hard-to-swallow loss, when Brees led the Saints on a six-play drive that covered 75 yards, and ended with a 32-yard strike to wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

The touchdown would tie the game at 23 with the extra point still coming.

Yes, there was still a little over one minute to play, but the Broncos offense hadn’t exactly been setting the world on fire.

But on the extra point attempt, backup rookie safety Justin Simmons hurdled the line of scrimmage and blocked the kick.

The Broncos other backup safety Will Parks scooped up the loose ball, and tightroped his way down the sideline to give the Broncos an improbable two-point victory.

Maybe it was just a fluky play pulled off by two lucky players, or maybe these two demonstrate the ability of John Elway to yet again find talent in the NFL Draft.