19 points in the NFL is hardly insurmountable, as the Denver Broncos proved on Sunday. It is, however, nearly insurmountable when that 19-point deficit is in the fourth quarter. The Broncos had been scoreless against the New York Giants through three quarters before exploding for 33 points. If that sounds like a record, it almost was. 

Broncos come up one shy of epic NFL record, set another

The Denver Broncos scored 33 points in one quarter on Sunday. That alone is wildly impressive. For reference, only four other teams (excluding Monday’s matchups) scored 33 points in Week 7 in an entire game. The NFL record for points in any quarter is 41, so the Broncos weren’t far off there. 

The record for points scored in the fourth quarter, which is when it matters most, is 34, and the Broncos nearly tied that record. It was an unfathomable scoring output, especially given that the Broncos had literally not scored until 14:08 in the fourth. They went almost 46 full game-clock minutes without a point before rattling off 33. 

But even that 34-point final quarter, which was done by the Detroit Lions in 2007, came with points having already been scored. The Lions beat the Chicago Bears 37-24 after their historic outburst. The Broncos had nothing beforehand, so they set the record for most points in the fourth after nothing in the first three in NFL history. 

The Giants were up 26-8 with a little over five minutes to go and had a 99% win probability, and the Broncos still managed to come back. It was an absurd effort from Bo Nix, Sean Payton, and company. 

How the Broncos managed the unreal comeback

The Broncos are a potential playoff team, and at 5-2, they surprisingly look like one of the best teams in the NFL, at least by record. The Giants are not, and at 2-5, they appear destined for another top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. So with that in mind, it’s not all that surprising that the Broncos one, but how they did it is shocking. 

A 31-yard Tyrone Tracy touchdown run put the Giants up 19-0 with 2:41 left in the third. The Broncos responded by finally getting on the scoreboard with a Troy Franklin catch with 14:08 left. The successful two-point conversion (after New York failed with its try) cut the lead to 11. 

But the Giants didn’t let the momentum fully shift. They responded immediately with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart, the rookie. That should have been the back-breaker with 10:14 left. It wasn’t.

The Broncos wouldn’t die, and they rattled off a 13-play drive that only took five minutes off the clock, scoring on a short Bo Nix run. Another two-point conversion cut the deficit to 10. Sadly, the Giants couldn’t match, as a Dart interception really shifted momentum and gave the Broncos genuine hope. 

In just 56 seconds, the Broncos scored again and cut the deficit to just three, which seemed mere minutes ago like an impossibility. The Giants, who were clearly on the ropes at this point, went three and out and then yielded a seven-play touchdown drive to give Denver an improbable lead. 

However, New York still had time to go and win the game, and they scored yet again to take the lead. That should have been it, as they left Denver with just 37 seconds left. Unfortunately, a missed PAT meant that a field goal could win it, which is what happened. 

Two passing plays of 20+ yards and a neutral zone infraction by Brian Burns put the Broncos well within Will Lutz’s range, and he calmly nailed the winning 39-yard kick to steal the most shocking win of the 2025 NFL season.