Wil Lutz kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Denver Broncos to a thrilling 33-32 win Sunday over the stunned New York Giants, who took a shutout into the fourth quarter.
The Broncos’ improbable comeback snapped a streak in which NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game.
The Broncos (5-2) trailed 26-8 with just over five minutes remaining but scored on a seven-yard Bo Nix scamper, RJ Harvey’s two-yard catch, an 18-yard keeper by Nix and Lutz’s game-winner after Jaxson Dart seemingly broke the Broncos’ hearts with a one-yard TD with 37 seconds left that gave New York a 32-30 lead.
Jude McAtamney missed his second extra point of the afternoon, however, and after Tyler Badie returned the kickoff 19 yards to the 23, Nix found Marvin Mims for 29 yards and Courtland Sutton for 22.
With no timeouts remaining, Nix and the offense raced to the line of scrimmage at the Giants 21 and spiked the ball with two seconds left.
The snap was high but Lutz nailed the field goal to secure Denver’s fourth consecutive win overall and NFL-best eighth straight at home.
The Giants (2-5) appeared to dodge the defeat when Dart threw incomplete to Beaux Collins near the goal line in the final minute and cornerback Riley Moss was whistled for pass interference. Broncos coach Sean Payton ran out onto the field to argue the call and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. That put the ball at the one and Dart took it from there.
The Broncos had taken a 30-26 lead on Nix’s 18-yard keeper with 1:51 remaining.
The Broncos were actually in danger of getting shut out at home for the first time in their 66-year history when they were blanked for three quarters.
The Giants, who grabbed a 26-8 lead on a deflected touchdown catch with 10:22 remaining, left several points on the field on two missed extra points and a failed two-point conversion.
Dart threw a trio of touchdown passes, one of them to Cam Skattebo, as the Giants built their big lead.
Harvey’s two-yard TD catch came on a deflected pass, and Nix’s two-point pass to Sutton made it 19-8, but on the ensuing drive, on third-and-17 from the Denver 41, the Giants got their own ricocheted touchdown when tight end Theo Johnson hauled in Dart’s pass after it went off wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson’s hands and raced into the end zone.
Trailing 26-8, the Broncos scored twice sandwiched around Justin Strnad’s interception that set up his offense at the New York 19. First, Nix scored on a seven-yard keeper, then threw a two-point pass to Franklin to make it 26-16 with 5:13 remaining. Then he hit Harvey from two yards out to make it 26-23.
The Broncos’ comeback came on a day the franchise honored the late Demaryius Thomas by inducting him into the team’s ring of fame.
By the halftime ceremony, the Giants had taken a 13-0 lead highlighted by Dart’s 44-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Benninger in the first quarter and his 13-yard strike to Scattebo in the second quarter for the rookie running back’s first career TD grab.
New York made it 19-0 on Tyrone Tracy Jr’s 31-yard scamper late in the third quarter, but the two-point conversion failed.
Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 Minnesota Vikings
Jalen Hurts gave his lagging offense a jolt by throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Jalyx Hunt returned an interception for a score, and the Philadelphia Eagles rebounded from back-to-back losses by hanging on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-22 on Sunday.
Hurts went 19 for 23 in the highlight-reel revival of the passing attack that helped the Eagles (5-2) win the Super Bowl last season, hitting AJ Brown for two touchdowns and DeVonta Smith for a career-high 183 receiving yards that included a 79-yard score.
Facing third-and-9 from their 44 with 1:45 left and the Vikings (3-3) still holding two timeouts, Hurts dropped back and dropped a 45-yard rainbow into Brown’s arms to seal it after he beat former teammate Isaiah Rodgers with a slick double move up the sideline. Rodgers, in his first season with the Vikings, also got beat on Smith’s touchdown.
Carson Wentz went 26 for 42 for 313 yards on an erratic afternoon, getting picked off twice in his own territory and struggling on the other end while the Vikings had to settle for Will Reichard’s field goals on five of six possessions inside the 20.
Wentz said during the week he’s too far removed from his time with Philadelphia to carry a grudge into this game, having made Minnesota his sixth stop in six seasons, but he didn’t give his original team his best performance – particularly in the red zone.
Washington Commanders 22-44 Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns, including a 74-yarder to CeeDee Lamb, DaRon Bland returned an interception 68 yards for a score after Jayden Daniels left with a hamstring injury and the Cowboys beat the Commanders 44-22 on Sunday.
Lamb had 110 yards on five catches after a high ankle sprain kept him out of the previous three games, when George Pickens sparkled without his new sidekick, then had just as much of an impact with them sharing the spotlight again.
Pickens’ 44-yard catch keyed a 35-second touchdown drive for a 27-15 lead in the final minute of the first half after Daniels had scored on a one-yard run with 45 seconds to go before the break.
Javonte Williams ran for 116 yards a touchdown for Dallas (3-3-1).
On the first possession of the second half for Washington (3-4), Daniels, who has already missed two games with a knee injury this season, injured his right hamstring while losing a fumble on Shemar James’ sack. The AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year grabbed behind his leg after getting dragged down by James as the ball came out.
Marcus Mariota replaced Daniels, and his first possession ended when he scrambled left and threw deep the other way to Jeremy McNichols. Bland was waiting for the throw and went untouched on the pick-six. Bland set an NFL record two years ago with five interception returns for touchdowns.
Green Bay Packers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
Josh Jacobs ran for a go-ahead, one-yard touchdown with 1:50 remaining, Micah Parsons had a career-high three sacks and the Packers rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat the Cardinals 27-23 on Sunday.
Green Bay (4-1-1) fought through a sluggish first half to win their first road game of the season. The Packers had their share of adversity this weekend – the team’s travel was reportedly delayed roughly five hours on Saturday because of mechanical issues with their airplane in Wisconsin.
Arizona (2-5) had a chance to win the game on its final offensive drive but Jacoby Brissett’s fourth-down pass was batted away in the end zone with six seconds left. Brissett – filling in for the injured Kyler Murray – threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cardinals have lost five straight games by a combined 13 points. They’re just the third NFL team to lose by four points or less in five straight, joining the 2017 San Francisco 49ers and 1984 Cleveland Browns.
Jacobs was a game-time decision because of an illness and calf injury, but produced his third straight two-touchdown game. He finished with 55 yards rushing and also ran for a seven-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love completed 19 of 29 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts 38-24 Los Angeles Chargers
Daniel Jones threw for 288 yards and two scores, Jonathan Taylor had his third three-touchdown game of the season and the Colts beat the Chargers 38-24 on Sunday for their NFL-leading sixth win.
The Colts (6-1) also snapped a five-game skid in Los Angeles after losing to the Rams at SoFi Stadium last month. They hadn’t beaten the Chargers, Rams or now-Las Vegas Raiders in L.A. since 1986. Overall, the Colts hadn’t beat the Chargers since Sept. 25, 2016, in Indianapolis.
Off to their best start since 2009, the AFC South-leading Colts led 23-3 at halftime while holding the Chargers to 10 rushing yards on six carries. The Colts scored 2 1/2 minutes into the game on Taylor’s 23-yard TD run and never looked back.
Jones was 23 of 34. Taylor had 16 carries for 94 yards.
The Chargers (4-3) never led while losing for the third time in four games despite a career-high 423 passing yards and three touchdowns by Justin Herbert. His 37 completions set a franchise record.
Carolina Panthers 13-6 New York Jets
Bryce Young threw a touchdown pass before leaving with an ankle injury, Jaycee Horn had two interceptions of Tyrod Taylor after New York benched Justin Fields and the Panthers beat the winless Jets 13-6 in a snoozefest Sunday for their third straight victory.
It marked the first time since Young was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 that the Panthers (4-3) have a three-game winning streak with him as their starting quarterback – but he was unable to finish this one.
And now the concern is if Young will be out for any extended time.
Young went to the locker room late in the third quarter, appearing to walk with a slight limp. The Panthers announced his return was questionable before ruling him out.
Andy Dalton took over with 34 seconds left in the quarter when Carolina got the ball back leading 13-3 following an interception by Horn in the end zone. Young was sacked by Jowon Briggs for a 12-yard loss on his last snap before the Panthers punted.
Las Vegas Raiders 0-31 Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters of work, Rashee Rice caught two of the TD passes in his return from a six-game suspension, and the Chiefs beat the Raiders 31-0 on Sunday.
Rice finished with seven catches for 42 yards in his first game since Week 4 last season, when he tore his ACL in a collision with Mahomes. He made it back from the injury in time to participate in the offseason and training camp, then was suspended before the start of the season for his role in a high-speed car crash on a Dallas highway in March 2024.
Rice’s return sparked an offense that scored on its first five possessions and finished with 434 yards in all.
It didn’t help Las Vegas to play most of the game without star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who left with a knee injury.
The Chiefs (4-3) were nearly as good on defense, though, holding the Raiders to three first downs and 96 yards while beating them for the 10th time in the last 11 matchups. Geno Smith finished 10 of 16 for 67 yards, while Ashton Jeanty, one of the NFL’s top rookies, carried just six times for 21 yards.
New England Patriots 31-13 Tennessee Titans
Drake Maye threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns and the New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans 31-13 Sunday in coach Mike Vrabel’s first game against the franchise that fired him in January 2024.
The Patriots (5-2) won their fourth straight to keep them atop the AFC East and spoil Mike McCoy’s debut as Tennessee’s interim head coach.
Fans chanted “Vrabel, Vrabel” as the clock ticked down.
With a 135.9 passer rating, Maye became only the third player under the age of 24 with at least 200 yards passing and a passer rating of 100 or higher in six straight games in NFL history. He joined Patrick Mahomes (seven consecutive in 2018) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (six in 1984).
Linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson had two of the Patriots’ five sacks and returned a fumble four yards for a touchdown. Harold Landry III had the final sack against the team that released him in March, and Marcus Jones had an interception in the final minutes.
New Orleans Saints 14-26 Chicago Bears
Dennis Allen’s defense dominated his former team, and the Bears beat the Saints 26-14 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.
Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator, had to like what he saw in his first game against the Saints since they fired him as head coach midway through last season after two and a half years. The Bears forced four turnovers and sacked Spencer Rattler four times.
Montez Sweat set the tone with an early strip-sack that led to a field goal. Nahshon Wright set up the game’s first touchdown with a long interception return, and the Bears (4-2) overcame a spotty performance by Caleb Williams to match their best streak since the 2018 NFC North championship team closed the regular season with four straight wins. They also had a much easier time after winning 25-24 at both Las Vegas and Washington.
New Orleans (1-6) continued their worst start since opening 1-7 in 1999 under then-coach Mike Ditka, the Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning coach with the Bears.
Miami Dolphins 6-31 Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns and the Browns snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-6 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Judkins, the 36th overall pick in April’s draft, had 84 yards rushing on 25 carries. He is the first Browns running back with three rushing scores in a game since Nick Chubb in 2022.
Cormerback Tyson Campbell, acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars on 9 October, returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the second half as the Browns (2-5) got over the 17-point hump for the first time in 12 games.
Rayshawn Jenkins added an interception and fumble recovery as the Browns had four takeaways in a game for the first time in nearly two seasons.
Los Angeles Rams 35-7 Jacksonville Jaguars
Matthew Stafford threw three of his five touchdown passes to Davante Adams and the Rams beat the Jaguars 35-7 on a rainy Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
Stafford, who has thrown 12 touchdowns with no interceptions in his past four games, also connected with rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson in the London rout.
The Rams (5-2) are off to their best start since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2021. Star receiver Puka Nacua missed the game with an ankle injury.
The only highlight for the Jaguars (4-3) was rookie two-way star Travis Hunter getting his first NFL touchdown. It made the score 28-7 in the fourth quarter.
Adams, who caught two touchdown passes in the first half, then added a third on a one-yard jump ball that sent Jags fans to the exits.
Atlanta Falcons 10-20 San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey had his first 100-yard rushing game since 2023 and the short-handed 49ers finally delivered a strong ground game to beat the Falcons 20-10 on Sunday night.
The usually run-focused 49ers (5-2) had struggled to generate much on the ground all season before getting back to their old style against the Falcons (3-3) with help from the return of tight end George Kittle.
McCaffrey ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and had 201 yards overall from scrimmage for his first 200-yard game since 2019. The Niners won for the fourth time in five starts this season with backup quarterback Mac Jones playing in place of Brock Purdy.
San Francisco’s defense came up big as well despite losing All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to an ankle injury last week and playing without star edge rusher Nick Bosa.
The 49ers delivered two key plays in the fourth quarter to preserve the lead. The Falcons were driving down 13-10 and had a third and 1 at the San Francisco 35. But the Niners stopped Bijan Robinson for no gain and then Chase Lucas broke up a pass from Michael Penix Jr to Drake London on fourth down to end the threat.
