Bo Nix threw an 11-yard touchdown pass and J.K. Dobbins rushed for a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter as the Denver Broncos wiped out a 14-point deficit to hand the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season, 21-17, on Sunday.
The Broncos batted down Jalen Hurts‘ last-gasp pass on the final play of the game to send the Super Bowl champions to just their second loss in their last 22 games.
The Broncos (3-2) caught a huge break in their rally when the Eagles had a late fourth-down conversion called back on an illegal shift penalty whistled against running back Saquon Barkley. The Eagles (4-1) were forced to punt and Hurts could not lead one more comeback.
His final heave on second-and-10 from the 29 was knocked down as time expired to send the jubilant Broncos into the locker room with an improbable win. Nix waved his arms in celebration toward dozens of Broncos fans in orange that stood near the visitors tunnel.
Nix threw for 242 yards — a week after he threw for a career-high 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals — and Denver’s formula of run-first offense and a dominant defense came to life in the fourth quarter.
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The Broncos totaled just 199 yards and trailed 17-3 at the end of the third before Nix got the offense rolling. Dobbins, who followed his 101 yards rushing against Cincinnati with 79 yards on Sunday, punched in a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth to make it 17-10.
The Broncos got the ball back and Nix hit Courtland Sutton for 34 yards on the decisive drive. Nix connected over the middle with Evan Engram for the 11-yard touchdown.
Broncos coach Sean Payton gambled for the 2-point conversion, and they got it when Nix hit WR Troy Franklin for an 18-17 lead with 7:36 left in the game.
The play stunned and silenced the Philly crowd — a familiar gut punch to the fan base after the Phillies wasted a three-run lead a night earlier in a playoff loss to the Dodgers.
Yet, these are the Eagles, and they weren’t going to just easily surrender their 10-game winning streak.
On fourth-and-4 from the Eagles’ 49, Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on a long reception for what should have been a first down, only for the flag on Barkley to wipe it off the board. Smith had eight catches and 114 yards receiving.
That was it for the Eagles. Will Lutz tacked on a 36-yard field goal with 1:11 left for a 21-17 lead.
Hurts threw for 280 yards. He had a 2-yard touchdown pass to TE Dallas Goedert and a 47-yard touchdown pass to Barkley in the third quarter for the 17-10 lead.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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