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From Boo to Bo, Broncos quarterback makes statement with third straight comeback victory

For three quarters, Bo Nix might have been testing out an early version of a potential Halloween costume: Boo Nix.

Broncos fans weren’t happy, showering the home team with boos as they left the field at halftime. Many had hit the exits to head home before the fourth quarter had even begun. Nix was expecting the worst when he eventually had to face the media postgame.

“I was thinking about how I was going to answer questions if we got shut out,” Nix joked.

Shutout? No. Most improbable comeback in Denver Broncos history? Somehow, yes.

With his team down 19-0 heading into the fourth quarter, Nix shed the costume and flipped the switch. Using his arms and legs, he led the Broncos to a whopping four touchdowns, two 2-point conversions, and one game-winning field goal drive to lead the Broncos to a ridiculous 33-32 win over the New York Giants.

The fans that were left in the building were stunned. Even Nix himself struggled to comprehend exactly what had happened after it was all said and done.

“I don’t even know how we scored 33 points in a damn quarter. That’s kind of insane,” Nix said.

No one really knows, if we’re all being honest. According to Next Gen Stats, the Broncos’ win probability at one point in the fourth quarter dropped as low as 0.7%. NFL teams leading by 18 or more points with six minutes or less to play in the fourth quarter had won 1,602 consecutive games.

After this game, it’s time to reset that statistic.

This win marks three straight comeback victories for Nix and the Broncos. While the previous two were important, particularly the big win in Philadelphia two weeks prior, neither looked anything like this one.

“You win a game like that, it’s like the best thing ever,” Nix said after the game. “My first time winning a game like that. It was awesome. It was a great team win. Every side of the ball made a huge impact in the game at some point, and we just kept making plays and kept hope until the very end.”

During the first three quarters, nothing was working. The Giants were one step ahead of Nix, batting down several of his passes before they could hit the line of scrimmage. What they weren’t batting down either wasn’t accurate or was falling right through the hands of Broncos receivers. Whatever is the opposite of mojo, the Broncos were fighting it.

It took a tip drill to Troy Franklin to flip that mojo. Then a Nix scramble. Then a perfect back-shoulder pass to Marvin Mims, who was the only real consistent playmaker on the Broncos from start to finish. After that, Evan Engram made his mark late in the fourth.

And when the Broncos and Nix really needed a play, they knew who to call on.

“Courtland Sutton is just the man. That’s all I got to say,” Nix said.

With the ball at the Giants 43, a spot that probably would have been good enough for Wil Lutz to pot the game-winner, Sean Payton had a little trick up his sleeve. Just 24 hours prior, he installed a play in the offense that he knew would work. Start Sutton on the inside, move him to the outside and just let Bo throw it up to the big man.

A little too easy, but Payton knew it was going to be.

“Every time he does it, I would say 99.8% of the time, those plays work,” Sutton said.

No practice necessary. Nix and Sutton made it work like Payton knew it would, and the rest is, quite literally, history.


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