DENVER — Brian Daboll’s Giants dominated the Denver Broncos for three quarters, then collapsed in an all-time choke job in a wild 33-32 loss at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon.
Jaxson Dart scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 37 seconds left, 32-30. But kicker Jude McAtamney’s second missed extra point left the door open for Denver.
And the Broncos quickly drove 56 yards for a game-winning 39-yard field goal by Will Lutz as time expired. Denver scored all 33 of its points in the fourth quarter.
Coincidence or not, the deluge began when starting corner Paulson Adebo left the game and was replaced by Deonte Banks.
The Giants suffered their eighth-largest lead in team history and the largest since blowing a 21-point lead in 2014.
Daboll shouted to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen from the sideline as Courtland Sutton got a 22-yard reception to set up the game-winning kick, and Daboll continued his heated dialogue with Bowen as the coaches stormed off the field toward the losing locker room.
The Giants led 13-0 at halftime, 19-0 with 2:41 left in the third quarter and 26-8 with 10:14 left in the game. Dart threw three touchdown passes. Then he seemingly drove the Giants down the field for the game-winning score late in the fourth.
The drive included a 4th-and-19 conversion to Wan’Dale Robinson and a 38-yard pass interference penalty on Broncos corner Riley Moss on a throw intended for Beaux Collins.
But Dart’s interception of Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad with 4:47 left and the Giants leading, 26-16, also contributed to Denver’s stunning comeback.
NFL teams have won 1,602 consecutive games by leading by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game.
The Giants (2-5) return home to prepare for a second game against the rival Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) in three weeks. This will take place in South Philadelphia, at Lincoln Financial Field, next Sunday.
Daboll’s team just beat the Eagles, 34-17, at MetLife Stadium in Week 6. But now their outlook is bleak in last place in the NFC East behind the Eagles, Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1) and Washington Commanders (3-4).
They would have a chance to make it in any game if their defense played like it did in the first three quarters Sunday against Denver.
Safety Dane Belton made a huge hit on Sutton for a fourth-and-goal save with 3:35 left in the second quarter to keep the Giants ahead, 13-0, going into halftime.
The Broncos’ offense was a mess, but Brian Burns’ second sack sent the Broncos off the field at halftime, flooded with boos. The Giants defense had allowed only 101 yards and six first downs to the Broncos in the half.
The Giants took a 19-0 lead on Dart’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Johnson on a coverage miss with 6:54 left in the first quarter. Then, Dart hit Cam Skattebo with a 13-yard screen pass for a touchdown with 8:46 left in the half.
And Tyrone Tracy Jr. followed it up with a 31-yard rushing touchdown on another Broncos defensive miscue for a 19-0 lead with 2:41 left in the third.
The Giants should have led 21-0 after these three scores. But kicker Jude McAtamney missed the extra point on Skattebo’s touchdown, and Dart’s two-point try to Robinson was tackled short of the goal line after Tracy’s score.
They got two sacks from Brian Burns on defense. And they also scored when Robinson dropped a Dart pass on 3rd-and-17, but the ball fell right into Theo Johnson’s hands. And the tight end raced toward the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown and a 26-8 lead with 10:14 to play.
But the Giants under Daboll always find a loss if it still exists. Just look at Week 2 in Dallas. As impossible as a loss seemed for most of Sunday, Payton’s team was ready to play in the fourth quarter.
And the Giants weren’t.
