The Denver Broncos pulled off one of the most unlikely comebacks in NFL history on Sunday. The Broncos were able to beat the New York Giants 33-32 despite the fact that they were trailing 19-0 going into the fourth quarter.
Here are five wild stats to know from Denver’s win, including two NFL records that the Broncos set.
NFL record: Broncos’ fourth-quarter explosion
Going into the fourth quarter, the Broncos were trailing 19-0 and it didn’t look like they had a chance to win the game, but then they exploded for 33 points during the final quarter to win. It was the most points ever scored by a team that had been shut out through the first three quarters.
The Broncos broke a record that had been held by the 1981 Atlanta Falcons, who got shut out for three quarters by the Green Bay Packers before scoring 31 in the final quarter. The Broncos and Falcons are the only two teams in NFL history to score at least 30 points after scoring zero in the first three quarters.
NFL record, Part II: Bo Nix goes off
The Broncos were able to score 33 points thanks in large part to Bo Nix, who had one of the best fourth-quarter performances in NFL history. Not only did Nix throw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter, but he also rushed for 46 yards and two MORE touchdowns.
With those four scores, Nix became the first player in NFL history with two passing touchdowns AND two rushing touchdowns in any quarter ever.
Broncos’ fourth-quarter point total almost broke record
As we’ve already mentioned multiple times, the Broncos scored 33 points during the fourth quarter, which isn’t a record, but it was the second most points that any team has ever scored during the fourth quarter of a game in NFL history. The only team to score more came in 2007 when the Detroit Lions scored 34 points in the fourth quarter during a 34-14 win over the Chicago Bears.
Comeback kids
The Broncos were trailing 26-8 with just six minutes left to play and still managed to win, making them just the second team since 2000 to win a game after trailing 18 points or more in the final six minutes. The only other time that’s happened over the past 25 years came in 2003 when Peyton Manning led the Colts back from a 21-point deficit in the final six minutes during a 38-35 win over the Buccaneers.
NFL teams had lost 1,602 consecutive games when trailing by 18 points or more in the final six minutes, but that streak ended on Sunday.
Comeback kids, Part II
The win over the Giants marked the second time this month that the Broncos have won a game despite trailing by at least 14 points heading into the fourth quarter (The Broncos trailed the Eagles 17-3 going into the fourth quarter back in Week 5 before winning the game, 21-17). The Broncos are just the third team since the AFL-NFL merger to overcome a deficit of 14 points or more in the fourth quarter of two different games in the same month.
The only other teams to pull that off are the Bears (September 2020) and the Dolphins (September 1980).
The win over the Giants marked the first time since 1983 that the Broncos won a game despite trailing by at least 19 points heading into the fourth quarter.
It was a huge win for the Broncos, who are now sitting atop the AFC West with a one-game lead over both the Chargers and the Chiefs.
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