Broncos-Giants report card: Bo Nix, Sean Payton pull Denver back from the brink in miraculous comeback

In one of the more truly unimaginable comebacks in newest franchise history the Broncos clawed all the way back from a -point fourth-quarter deficit to down the Giants - at Empower Field on Sunday Here s The Denver Post s assessment card of madness OFFENSE A- There was no better summation of the three-quarter hellscape that unfolded on Sunday at Empower Field than the Broncos second drive of the third quarter On a shotgun snap a handoff slipped out of Bo Nix s hands the quarterback falling on it for a loss of four He then flat-footed a pass that was deflected Then Evan Engram dropped a likely first-down catch-and-run on third down There was no better summation of the fourth-quarter miracle that unfolded on Sunday by mirror image than the Broncos game-winning drive in the fourth quarter On third-and- Nix put all his arm and all his trust in a -yard back-shoulder bomb for Marvin Mims Jr who just went up and nabbed it for a game-saving play Two reps later Nix saw blitz and with a veteran s cool checked into a quick-hit to Evan Engram who sped for yards A play later Nix took a designed run for an -yard touchdown and sent a sea of orange into a frenzy Denver has gone wholly cold for the majority of their last quarters But when they re hot they re hot Somehow the Broncos put up fourth-quarter points after hanging a goose egg through three quarters And with seconds left they emerged again from an inferno of a ballgame as Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr and Courtland Sutton to set up a walk-off field goal High marks for sheer clutch factor here DEFENSE D Even the Week loss to the Colts didn t feel quite this ugly In a truly rare sight for Vance Joseph s defense the Broncos suffered breakdowns left and right on Sunday There was an early first-quarter heave from Jaxson Dart to tight end Daniel Bellinger for a -yard TD with nobody in the vicinity There was a -yard touchdown run from Giants back Tyrone Tracy Jr that went comprehensively untouched And a fourth-quarter catch-and-run from tight end Theo Johnson on a pass that popped into the air off the hands of Wan Dale Robinson perfectly summed up the day as Johnson put rookie corner Jahdae Barron in the turf for good measure After all that somehow the Broncos unveiled themselves needing a stop against a sputtering Giants offense late in the fourth quarter a situation that Joseph s unit has thrived in For a time they did Until Riley Moss drew the pass-interference call of all pass-interference calls a flag that moved New York from the -yard line to the The Broncos escaped but this was ugly SPECIAL TEAMS B It was a decent and heavy day for punter Jeremy Crawshaw who let off one -yard punt despite only pinning two of his six inside the -yard line Otherwise though Darren Rizzi s unit missed specialist J T Gray who went inactive in his first week after signing over from the Ravens practice squad Mims had a nice -yard punt return but rookie RJ Harvey got benched on kickoff duties after incomprehensibly stepping out of bounds on one return At the end though kicker Wil Lutz played the hero nailing a walk-off -yarder through the uprights as time expired Giants kicker Jude McAtamney missed two extra points That was the difference as much as any other Related Articles Peyton Manning DeMarcus Ware family remember Demaryius Thomas in Broncos Ring of Fame celebration Broncos Giants Bo Nix s -yard touchdown run gives Denver its first lead Broncos to activate ILB Dre Greenlaw off injured reserve for Giants matchup Renck Broncos defense giving off vibes for Von Miller Wade Phillips But they re not there yet Grading The Week Ex-Broncos RBs Audric Estime Javonte Williams would love to have J K Dobbins problems right now COACHING B- Nix had no juice early with four straight incompletions to start and Payton continued to struggle to find any flow as a play-caller for three quarters J K Dobbins didn t get going until the second half Joseph had maybe his worst day of the year And still Payton pulled a win from where the Denver sun doesn t shine throwing everything in his kitchen sink and then specific at the Giants in a -point fourth quarter The Broncos began isolating their playmakers one-on-one and Nix took advantage Denver too did an excellent job of playing fast but managing the clock in the fourth quarter Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis