The Denver Broncos overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the New York Giants 33-32.
Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy noted that mistakes by the leading team often contribute to such large comebacks.
The game was part of a trend this season, with a record 30 games decided in the final two minutes or overtime through Week 7.
As much as Tony Dungy was impressed by the huge comeback the Denver Broncos pulled off on Oct. 19, the Hall of Fame coach was taken aback by the big collapse.
Sure, the Broncos rallied from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit to make history with a 33-32 victory that marks some serious Mile High magic.
But by the same token, boy did the New York Giants blow it.
“When we see these big comebacks, usually you have the team that’s ahead making some mistakes that allow it to happen,” Dungy, an analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America,” told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s part of it, too.”
It’s a half-full, half-empty takeaway lesson from comebacks – and collapses – that are increasingly in the mix with so many NFL games going down to the wire. Already this season, 30 games have been decided by winning scores in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime – the most-ever through Week 7 – to underscore a barrage of last-minute lead changes.
Of course, the drama at Empower Field on Sunday took it to another level. It turned out to be the NFL’s “Game of the Year.” At least so far. The Broncos were the first team since 1970 to overcome an 18-point deficit with six minutes left to win in regulation.
“It is rare. Maybe not Shohei Ohtani rare, but it is rare,” James Lofton, the Hall of Fame receiver, tapping a World Series vibe, told USA TODAY Sports.
The classic game deserves this special review from a pair of legends.
Broncos comeback shows ‘no ‘normal’ lead is safe’ in today’s NFL
“There are so many factors that make a difference,” Lofton said. “Bottom line, no ‘normal’ lead is safe.”
Lofton knows this intimately. He was a member of the Buffalo Bills when they rallied from a 35-3 deficit with backup quarterback Frank Reich to hang a 41-38 overtime stunner on the Houston Oilers in a 1992 AFC wild-card matchup. It was the largest comeback in NFL playoff history.
“I remember Marv just kept saying, ‘You can’t think about the scoreboard,’ ” Lofton recalled, referring to Bills coach Marv Levy.
Dungy has vivid memories of striking comebacks, too, from his roll as Indianapolis Colts coach, when he collaborated with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
To advance to Super Bowl 41, the Colts rallied from a 21-3 deficit against the New England Patriots in the 2006 AFC title game. Before that, Dungy celebrated his 48th birthday in 2003 with a Monday night return to Tampa to face the Buccaneers for the first time since that franchise fired him. It was amazing theatre. The Colts became the first team to win after trailing by 21 points in the final four minutes of regulation.
“So many of these teams practice up-tempo and no-huddle, which was a big thing for us,” Dungy said, reflecting on the urgency of the moment. “That was our whole game. I think these teams practicing at the line of scrimmage and knowing how to do it, when you get into the 2-minute drills, it’s not just new stuff.”
Dungy, though, had a sharper tone when specifically pondering the Giants’ meltdown, which fueled many questions about New York coach Brian Daboll’s game-management.
“Doesn’t the coach, don’t you tell the team when you go out there and it’s 26-16, with 5 minutes to go, ‘OK, we’ve got to stay inbounds. Use the 40-second clock. Whatever you do, you can’t turn the ball over. We can’t get penalties,’ ” Dungy said. “Those are things I would preach when we’re ahead.
“They used, I think, 30 seconds, 27 seconds, and threw an interception when they’re ahead by 10 points. That contributes to it. That makes it happen.”
The wild fourth quarter included two deflected TD receptions, two Bo Nix TD runs, two 2-point conversions and a missed PAT. And then some.
Maybe the Broncos don’t get a miracle without inside linebacker Justin Strnad’s interception of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s third-down throw from New York’s 35-yard line with just under five minutes on the clock. Strnad returned the pick 21 yards to the 19, setting up the short TD pass from Nix to RJ Harvey that, with the PAT, cut the lead to 26-23.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said it was “like a double whammy” to get the premium field position that allowed them to quickly convert the turnover into a score.
“That probably was the difference in winning and losing the game,” Payton said.
Payton, whose team (5-2) won a fourth consecutive game to seize sole possession of first place in the AFC West, told his young quarterback that when he’s around long enough he’ll be in “five or six” wild comeback games.
“You just hope when you’re done that you won more than you lost,” he said.
‘This is a crazy league.’ Broncos rally was as brilliant as Giants meltdown was baffling
This time, he won. Somehow. The Giants regained the lead they lost – a fourth-down completion and three penalties, including pass interference, set up Dart’s 1-yard TD run – then missed the PAT.
Denver didn’t have a timeout when it began a drive at the 23-yard line with 33 seconds left. Nix’s 29-yard strike over the middle to Marvin Mims, Jr. and a 22-yard sideline completion to Courtland Sutton – on a play Payton installed Saturday – set up Will Lutz’s 39-yard winning field goal.
The takeaway impressions of the final sequence for the Hall of Famers?
“They’ve got 33 seconds and no timeouts,” said Dungy, a defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach. “Don’t you just sit back, make them throw it in front of you and tackle them inbounds? The first ball’s a 29-yard gain. It’s just baffling to me. Baffling.”
Lofton, who retired after the 1993 season as the first NFL player to post 14,000 receiving yards, saw something special in Sutton’s final catch. Nix threw the back-shoulder pass to the perfect spot, high enough that only the receiver could make a play on the football at the 21-yard line.
“He played basketball at SMU,” Lofton said of Sutton. “He has incredible jump-ball skills. He’s used to going up and getting it. And he had the presence of mind to get his feet down.
“This is a crazy league.”
Payton had a distinct takeaway from the drama, too. With the Dallas Cowboys and their high-powered offense coming to town, he has a warning rooted in history. He said that teams experiencing the euphoria of a huge comeback win typically fall flat in their encore act.
“Look it up,” Payton said. “Analytically, it’s like 2-17. The following week – when you steal a win – is a challenging week. So, we’ve got to be prepared to bury this and get ready. The reason I know that is it happened to us.”
In other words, the Broncos are in comeback mode in more ways than one.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell