Week 7 NFL Deep Dive: Bo & The Broncos Stun The Giants

By Peter Mann

Somehow, they managed it again; for the second time in three weeks, AFC West leaders, Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos overturned a sizeable deficit going into the third quarter to register a victory.

Against Philadelphia Eagles the score was at 17-3 at the end of the third, however, on Sunday, the losing margin was greater, New York Giants leading 19-0 heading into the fourth, but somehow, as this week’s Deep Dive shows, Bo Nix and his band of merry Broncos, managed it again.

On the main recent seasons have seen the Broncos hit, even this stage, with a losing record, 2016 being the last time they started 5-2, that being the year after they won the Super Bowl (SB 50, 24-10 vs. Carolina Panthers), so this was welcome relief for the Mile High faithful.

Mind you, at one stage on Sunday, Broncos fans were probably thinking their beloved franchise was staring down the barrel of a similar fate to their divisional rivals, Las Vegas Raiders, they losing a dust-up with the other AFC West franchise, Kansas City Chiefs, 31-0.

In hosting the NFC East’s Giants, Brian Daboll’s men certainly looked like they had the Broncos’ number, registering a TD score in each of the first three quarters, quarterback Jaxson Dart et al causing havoc throughout.

In-fact it was Dart who was responsible for the first two scores of the game, connecting with tight end Daniel Bellinger over 44yds in the first quarter, and with running back Cameron Skattebo from a much closer, 13yds, in the second, kicker Jude McAtamney’s boot though ultimately proved the deciding factor, against his side.

Northern Ireland-born, McAtamney, was originally a Gaelic footballer before switching to the American game, eventually heading to Chowan University, North Carolina, followed by Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights, eventually signing for the Giants as an undrafted free agent and assigned to their International Player Pathway Program spot in 2024.

The first score of the game arrived as Dart opened up some space on a 1st & 10 before letting fly with 44yd TD pass to Bellinger, the Giants TE caught completely open with just under seven minutes of the first remaining.

A second score came about, in the second quarter as Skattebo notched up his first receiving TD, catching, ducking and diving with the football, before stiff-arming his way through the Broncos for a 13yd score, and a gap was opening up.

Giants Safety, Dane Belton, was on hand late in the first half to prevent a Broncos score, producing a stunning block on wide receiver Courtland Sutton who was setting up a dive for the endzone, the visitors holding on well.

In Dart and Skattebo though, the Giants have franchise stars for the foreseeable future, as the Broncos found out; leading by thirteen at the half, the Blue, Red & White continued to soar in the second half as well, running back Tyrone Tracy Jnr rushed for a 31yd score to extend that lead to nineteen, the Giants though unsuccessful with a two-point attempt as Dart’s pass to his wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, came to nothing.

Then came the comeback as Broncos quarterback, Bo Nix went for gold, and hit the jackpot, connecting for two TD scores, two rushing TD scores, and for added measure, two two-point extras to put the two franchises needing to land a knockout blow for the win.

That eventually went to the Mile High Broncos, but boy did they work for it in a stunning third quarter which saw some forty-six points registered in total, thirty-three of them going to the hosts.

A close-range pass, a deflection, and wide receiver Troy Franklin keeping up with play led to the first Broncos TD score, before Nix then followed up with a successful, quick, two-point attempt to Sutton; the Giants though, they retaliated well and tight end Theo Johnson ran in a 41yd score that pushed them to a 26-8 score, with ten minutes remaining.

All of a sudden, with minutes left on the game-clock, the speedometer went up ten-fold as the Broncos, and Nix, turned on the ignition; Nix dashed home for a close-range, rushing score with a little over five left, then connected with Franklin for a two-point score.

Nix then hit running back RJ Harvey from close to move within four points, before taking another rushing score for himself, registering an 18yd score which put the Broncos in-front for the first time, with less than two minutes remaining.

The action continued to get a little crazy as the Giants regained their lead, albeit briefly, as quarterback Dart made a stretching dive for the endzone having taken the ball himself; the replay official ruling that a score had been made.

Up by one, and the clock running down, Nix and the Broncos made one final dash at the opposite end, scraping through at the death when opting for a 39yd FG, one which was successfully made by Wil Lutz to send Mile High crazy with delight.

Statistically for the two franchises, the Giants would see the following registered – Jaxson Dart 15/33, 283yds, 3TDs (pass), 5car, 11yds, 1TD (rush); Tyrone Tracy Jnr 9car, 46yds, 1TD (rush); Daniel Bellinger 88yds, 1TD (rec), Theo Johnson 66yds, 1TD (rec), Cameron Skattebo 34yds, 1TD (rec)

Replying for the Broncos and the following was notched up – Bo Nix 27/50, 279yds, 2TDs (pass), 5car, 48yds, 2TDs (rush); Troy Franklin 19yds, 1TD (rec), RJ Harvey 2yds, 1TD (rec); Wil Lutz 1/1, 39lng, 2PATs

Victory for Denver Broncos keeps the top of the AFC West, boasting a 5-2 record seven games into the season, and welcome the 3-3-1 Dallas Cowboys this coming weekend; defeat for New York Giants sees them drop to 2-5 in the early throes of the season and sit bottom of the NFC East and travel to another 5-2 record franchise, Philadelphia Eagles, in their next outing.

PETER MANN

NFL ANALYST

PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter

 
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