In honoring legends of Broncos past —from Hall of Famers to Ring of Famers to Super Bowl champions —Sunday’s game in Denver was a soul-stirring tribute. The next generation of Broncos players took the field in the shadow of those Broncos greats and delivered what turned out to be an epic performance that will go down as one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

The full gamut of human emotions filled Empower Field for the 10th Anniversary reunion of the Super Bowl 50 team, and the induction of Demaryius Thomas into the Ring of Fame. Broncos Country let their feelings be known as the first half came to a close with boos for the poor performance of the Broncos’ offense against the New York Giants. In the next instance, the jeers turned to cheers when the celebrated Ring of Fame members took the field alongside members of the 2015 championship team for the halftime celebration.

Trailing 19-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, with another 13 points to come from the New York Giants, many Broncos fans left the stadium, viewers changed the channel, and even Broncos players expressed their doubts. But in the rarefied air of Denver, Colorado, something was brewing à la Angels in the Outfield. Against all odds, there was a 0.2 % chance of coming back with 7:12 left, according to NextGen Stats. The next episode of Mile High Magic was about to unfold, A special ending to a special day.

After three consecutive games in which the Broncos failed to score a touchdown in 9 of 12 quarters, it was not unusual to see the defense carry the team —but not today. The defense allowed over 30 points for the first time this season. Even after the Broncos scored their first touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Giants answered, pushing the score to 26-8 with 10:14 left in the game.

“I lost hope, I ain’t going to lie,” cornerback Pat Surtain II said after the game.

The sequence of unusual plays appeared to come in pairs for both teams in one of the wildest fourth quarters in NFL history. No player had ever scored two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a fourth quarter until Bo Nix. Giants kicker Jude McAtamney missed a pair of point-after attempts, including one with 37 seconds left in the game. The missed two points were the difference between winning and losing for the Giants. McAtamney was released the next day by the Giants.

The fast and furious, almost mysterious, fourth quarter all started with a pair of ricochet passes. The Broncos would get on the scoreboard with a pass intended for Courtland Sutton that was deflected in the diving arms of Troy Franklin for the two-yard touchdown. On the next pass play for the Giants, a deflected pass would ricochet into the arms of Wan’Dale Robinson, helping set up the Giants’ answering touchdown.

Trailing 32-30, with 33 seconds left on the clock, with the Broncos still needing to get in field goal range, Bo Nix threw a pass intended for Courtland Sutton but was intercepted by his own teammate. Marvin Mims Jr. would come down with the 29-yard pass at midfield with 18 seconds left. Sutton would then get the call for a play that was installed by Head Coach Sean Payton the day before the game. The 22-yard catch by Sutton was caught at the 21-yard line before he could get out of bounds to stop the clock. The Broncos would reset and spike the ball to stop the clock with 2 seconds left.

For the third time this season, a walk-off field goal was the deciding factor in the game. This time, the Broncos were on the winning side with the 39-yard game-winning kick by Wil Lutz on the special day in Broncos Country. The comeback snapped a 1,602-game winning streak by teams holding an 18+ point or more lead in the final six minutes.

“I’ve been on both sides of those, as recent as this year,” Lutz said after the game. “I think everyone in this building knew we were playing for more than just us today. The ebbs and flows of this game it’s going to happen to everyone who plays in this league. You’re going to lose some heartbreakers but you’re going to win them eventually. I just think [that] these last few weeks have shown how important every phase of this game is. Points are at a premium in this league. Look at the amount of games that are won by one to three points, it’s a pretty insane stat. Not a lot of room for error. Today we were on the right side of it, and it feels good when you’re on the right side of it.”

Not forgetting what led the team to fight for the comeback win, Head Coach Sean Payton was not as pleased with the win as the rest of the team. It was the second consecutive game against New York teams that are in last place. A13-11 win against the Jets last week, and 33-32 against the Giants on Sunday. Next up are two consecutive Texas teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

“You’re telling me what’s happened, and I’ve lived it,” Payton told the Denver Sports Report. “I keep getting my hair cut (taking off his cap), and it gets grayer. I feel you. There’s no redemption. It’s just the next week, the next challenge. There’s relief, but as a coach, there’s like… Oftentimes, when you lose, there are a ton of good things that took place that you can build on. Then it’s not unusual when you win that there are a ton of things that need [to be] cleaned up. We’re going to enjoy today, but tomorrow is not going to be as pleasant. It can’t be or we’re just fooling ourselves.”

On a day honoring Demaryius Thomas and his induction into the Ring of Fame, his spirit was the undercurrent in Broncos Country. Born on Christmas Day, D.T. was a gift to those who knew him or knew of him. Passing at the age of 33, that number echoed throughout the Broncos’ landmark win. 33 points in the fourth quarter, the game-winning drive started at 33 seconds, and 33 assisted tackles by the defense. And the two 8-point scoring drives, a nod to his  #88. DT lives on in Broncos Country lore.

“You do get emotional talking about it because the fact that [former Broncos RB] Ronnie [Hillman] and ‘D.T.’ (Ring of Fame WR Demaryius Thomas) aren’t with us anymore, it tells you that life is too short and you shouldn’t take 10 years to connect with someone or reconnect,” said Hall of Fame Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.    See the full game photo gallery at: www.SportsReportNet.com

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