Broncos roar back from 14-point deficit to stun Eagles 21-17

PHILADELPHIA — Playing not far from where Rocky punched carcasses in a meat locker and ran up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it was appropriate Sean Payton ended up making a boxing reference Sunday.

The Broncos stormed back from a 14-point deficit early in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field to take the lead then exercised some demons from earlier this season when they lost two games on last-play field goals.

The result was a 21-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champions. It was clearly the best win in Payton’s three years as Denver’s head coach.

“Good win,’’ said Payton, whose Broncos moved to 3-2 while handing the 4-1 Eagles their first loss. ‘When you play somebody like that, you’re going to get punched and it’s not going to be easy. But we kept fighting and that’s what I was most encouraged about, just the fight, the grit.”

The game began with “Gonna Fly Now,’’ the theme from “Rocky,” blaring out of the stadium loudspeakers. And by early in the third quarter, the Eagles had taken a 17-3 lead on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to running back Saquon Barkley, who easily beat former Philadelphia linebacker Alex Singleton down the right sideline.

A knockout blow, right? Hardly.

Denver Broncos defensive end Sai’Vion Jones (95) pressures Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the first half Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, at Lincoln Finanacial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

“One thing our team is not going to do is ever quit,’’ said outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who had 2.5 of Denver’s six sacks to give him seven this season. “We’ve got a lot of resilient guys in the locker room. … So hats off to everybody.”

The Broncos closed the deficit to 17-10 on a 2-yard run by J.K. Dobbins with 13:31 left in the game. Dobbins had another solid outing, carrying 20 times for 79 yards.

Then with 7:36 remaining, Bo Nix threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Engram. Payton put up his fingers to signal for a two-point conversion, and Nix found Troy Franklin wide open on the right side of the end zone for an 18-17 lead.

“I had two or three calls that I loved,’ Payton said. “Sometimes you use those calls inside the 5. I got to a call that I had a lot of confidence in and the guys executed. It was perfect. … Let’s keep being aggressive.”

After that, the Broncos took care of business on defense. Wil Lutz extended the lead to 21-17 on a 36-yard field goal with 1:11 left in the game, forcing Philadelphia to score a touchdown to win.

The Eagles got down to the Broncos’ 29 with 9 seconds left thanks to an 18-yard pass interference call on JL Skinner on fourth down and a 24-yard pass from Hurts to Jahan Dotson. But Hurts threw two incompletions, the last one a Hail Mary pass into the end zone that bounced around before falling harmlessly to the turf.

“Any win in this league is special first and foremost, but beating this team added a little extra,’’ said Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones. “They are the defending champs and it was just a team effort. We were down 17-3, so the way we fought back adds some special sauce to it.”

After the Broncos took the lead in the fourth quarter, Jones said he was thinking about leads lost early this season. The Broncos fell 29-28 in Week 2 at Indianapolis and 23-20 in Week 3 at the Los Angeles Chargers, both on last-play field goals.

“Losing a close game, I bet everybody was remembering that,’’ Jones said. “But we ain’t losing this one. If it’s close, we’re not losing it.”

The Broncos didn’t, which made for a happy trip after the game to London, where they will face the New York Jets next Sunday.

Nix played a key role in the comeback and the close out. After a first half in which he completed just 10 of 21 passes for 79 yards, he finished 24 of 39 for 242 yards and the touchdown throw to Engram.

“It’s about time we got a fourth-quarter close one,’’ Nix said. “I wasn’t happy how the first part (of the game) was going. Six straight punts (in the second and third quarters) is not what anybody wants. We handled it and we went out and won the game.”

Payton said of Nix he “can feel his leadership when it matters” and that “you can feel the confidence with his teammates.”

That includes Nix hooking up with Courtland Sutton. After Sutton had just two catches for 11 yards in the first half, he finished with eight grabs for 99 yards, including a 34-yard catch the play before Engram’s touchdown grab.

For much of the first three quarters, the game belonged to the Eagles. The teams traded field goals in the first quarter and Hurts threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert midway through the second quarter for a Philadelphia 10-3 lead. But after Barkley’s touchdown the Eagles never scored again.

Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram (1) leaps into the endzone for a touchdown as Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) tackles him during the second half Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, at Lincoln Finanacial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

“Obviously, at the end of the day, (the Broncos) had the lead in the fourth quarter and they made more plays and coached better than us and played better than us, and they came back and got a win,’’ said Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni.

The Broncos held the Eagles to just 45 yards rushing, with Barkley strangely getting just six carries for 30 yards. Denver put plenty of pressure on Hurts for much of the game, having eight quarterback hits, including the six sacks. Hurts completed 23 of 38 passes for 280 yards and the two touchdowns but said the Eagles had a “lack of execution” for much of the second half.

In the end, the Broncos pulled it out. So what was the key?

“Just keep fighting,’’ Engram said.