Broncos marvel at historic rally: 'Always a way'

DENVER -- Pat Surtain II admitted helium had mislaid hope.

His Denver Broncos hadn't scored until the 4th fourth Sunday, trailed the New York Giants 26-8 with conscionable implicit 10 minutes near and past 32-30 with 37 seconds to go. But they someway sprinted into the locker country astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High with a thrilling 33-32 triumph that near Surtain and his teammates shaking their corporate heads aft it.

"We fought to the end," Surtain said. "In this league, nary substance however overmuch you're down, there's ever a will, and there's ever a way."

Prior to Sunday, teams had mislaid 1,602 consecutive games erstwhile trailing by astatine slightest 18 points with six minutes to play. Denver, though, changed that with 33 points successful the 4th quarter, their astir successful a 4th successful franchise past and tied for the second-most successful a 4th successful NFL history.

"I don't adjacent cognize however we scored 33 points successful a quarter, that's benignant of insane,'' backmost Bo Nix said. "It's conscionable immoderate we had to get done, we did it ... By immoderate means necessary."

It marked the largest fourth-quarter comeback for a squad that had not scored successful the archetypal 3 successful NFL history. And Nix became the archetypal subordinate ever successful the NFL to people 2 rushing touchdowns and propulsion 2 passing TDs successful a last quarter.

The Broncos had made a important messiness of things connected some sides of the shot that resulted successful a 19-0 shortage astatine the extremity of the 3rd quarter. Rookie backmost Jaxson Dart had been mostly unhindered by the Broncos' usually swarming defense, throwing for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns to that point. And the Broncos discourtesy was forced to punt six times successful its archetypal 9 possessions.

"We had to find a mode to cleanable up our mess,'' Broncos manager Sean Payton said.

Things started to crook for Denver erstwhile Nix deed Troy Franklin for a 2-yard touchdown pass, past converted the 2-point conversion to marque it 19-8 with 14:08 to play.

"I was reasoning astir however I was going to reply questions if we got unopen out,'' Nix said. "... Once we scored and got the two-point conversion it was similar we knew however to play again."

But the Giants shocked them again with a deflected walk from Dart that choky extremity Theo Johnson took 41 yards for a 26-8 pb with 10:14 to play.

The Broncos answered with a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown drive, past added a two-point conversion to marque it 26-16. And past almost, to a player, the Broncos said linebacker Justin Strnad made the play that made the improbable possible.

Facing a third-and-5 astatine their ain 35, Dart tried to sneak a walk implicit Strnad's head, but helium snatched the shot retired of the aerial and returned it to the Giants 19. The Broncos scored 4 plays aboriginal to chopped the pb to 26-23.

And past things got really wild.

The Broncos forced a three-and-out by the Giants offense, and Nix rapidly finished disconnected a six-play, 68-yard thrust with an 18-yard TD tally that gave them their archetypal pb of the game, 30-26 with 1:51 to play.

But 8 plays into the adjacent Giants possession, a walk interference punishment connected Denver's Riley Moss successful the extremity portion and an unsportsmanlike behaviour punishment connected an enraged Payton -- who had gone retired to the mediate of the tract to expre...