The Philadelphia Eagles looked locked in for a comfortable blowout. After all, they led 17-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Their offense was clicking early with big plays from DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley. And the Denver Broncos looked stagnant and lost for much of the game.

Everything was perfect until it wasn’t.

Quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a thrilling 21-17 win over the Eagles, who held a lead early in the fourth quarter. Nix said, “It’s not easy going out there 17-3 when you haven’t had much success… We kind of had this sense, just need one drive.” That drive turned into an 11-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram, followed by a gutsy two-point conversion to Troy Franklin. 

That decision? Going for two and the lead with over seven minutes still on the clock. Nix’s precise throw to Franklin paid off, igniting the Broncos and deflating the Eagles, who couldn’t mount any offense for the rest of the game. Denver finished with 154 yards in the fourth alone, all fueled by that punch-in-the-mouth comeback mindset.

He explained that they followed a classic underdog mentality: one play at a time. “Let’s go down the field one play at a time…We stopped talking about points. We said, look, we got to go get a touchdown.” The Broncos’ defense capitalized on penalties and the Eagles’ inability to adjust, crashing what should’ve been a routine win.

Moreover, Philadelphia’s offense went stone cold after halftime, punting on four consecutive drives in the fourth quarter. The pass-heavy approach, 38 attempts with just 11 total rushes, backfired against Denver. And Sean Payton went all out to praise his QB, highlighting the leadership that sparked the comeback.

Payton breaks down Bo Nix’s comeback performance

Sean Payton praised his quarterback as: “He’s a competitor. There were a handful of plays in the first half that I know he’d want back. … Man, you could feel his leadership when it matters.” Despite early struggles, Nix showed leadership when it mattered. The Eagles never recovered, ending their undefeated run.

Payton also noted that Nix was “exceptional in the second half.” The two-point conversion was incredibly rare. It was the first go-ahead two-point try in his entire coaching career of 298 games. No team this season had even tried it before. Since 2000, only 24 teams have pulled off a go-ahead two-point conversion. Nineteen of those were in the fourth quarter. It’s a bold move, and it paid off big for Denver.

Whereas quarterback Jalen Hurts did throw for a season-high 280 yards, but couldn’t convert when it mattered most. He and the offense just flat ran out of steam, and frustration simmered among star receivers like AJ Brown.

Up next, the Broncos hit the road Sunday to face the New York Jets. The Eagles have a quick turnaround with a short trip to take on the New York Giants Thursday night. Both teams will be looking to bounce back or build on what they showed Sunday.