The Giants left the Mile High City down in the dumps after a collapse for the ages.
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Perfectly positioned for a season-changing victory, the Giants went from pitching a 45-minute shutout to allowing four fourth-quarter touchdowns, blowing a 19-point lead in the final six minutes and wasting their own improbable comeback in a 33-32 loss to the Broncos.
How did it happen that Jaxon Dart’s 283-yard passing, four-touchdown performance, Theo Johnson’s improbable touchdown catch and a defensive performance littered with big hits and forced punts went to waste and became marred by allowing 33 fourth-quarter points and a walk-off field goal?
The collapse started innocently enough and ended in a horror show.
The Giants had given back the entirety of their lead when the Broncos took a 30-26 lead with 1:51 remaining.
No problem for Dart, who completed a fourth-and-19 pass that included a 15-yard tack-on penalty. He finished the drive with a quarterback sneak that should’ve saved the Giants from devastation if the defence could hold for 37 seconds.
But Jude McAtamney missed his second PAT, opening the door for what every Giants fan knew was coming next: A four-play, 56-yard play that included a big catch allowed by Deonte Banks and ended in Will Lutz’s 39-yard field goal.
According to NFL on CBS, teams were 1,602-0 when leading by 18 points with six minutes to go.
COACH’S EMBARRASSING BACKFLIP IN QB CONTROVERSY
When one reporter asked Aaron Glenn if Justin Fields would be the Jets’ starting quarterback moving forward after last week’s loss to the Broncos, the New York head coach didn’t mince his words.
“C’mon man,” he said.
“What kind of question is that?”
As it turns out, it was the right one — not that anyone outside of the Jets organisation ever questioned that.
Fields was benched on Monday as the Jets continued their winless start to the season, this time going down 13-6 to the Carolina Panthers in an uninspiring game.
Fields completed nine of 17 passes for 45 yards, and he lost 55 yards on nine sacks last week against Denver and wasn’t any better against a much more beatable Panthers secondary.
Speaking after the loss to Carolina, Glenn said he felt the team “needed a spark”, which was why he turned to veteran Tyrod Taylor.
“I understand the nature of the quarterback change,” Glenn said.
“We needed a spark. At that time I felt it was the right time to do it. Obviously it’s a tough situation for both those guys, but it was my call. It was my call and I felt it was the right time to do it.”
Unfortunately for him, the results weren’t much better with Taylor completed 10 of 22 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions.
Fields, meanwhile, completed just six passes for 46 yards before being benched.
No urgency?! Jets allow clock to run out | 00:38
TROUBLE IN MIAMI AS BROWNS RB BREAKS OUT
If it is not Glenn, Miami’s Mike McDaniel looks the most likely head coach to be first fired this season.
The Dolphins hit a new low this week as they let the struggling Cleveland Browns run all over them in a heavy 31-6 defeat.
Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins broke out with a big game, rushing for 84 yards and three touchdowns, while the Cleveland defence stepped up with four sacks, three interceptions and one forced fumble.
As for Miami, McDaniel said after the game that “everything is on the table” when asked about the potential of line-up changes as he desperately looks to arrest an alarming form slump.
“If you are negatively impacting the team routinely, I have no choice but to assess a different player,” McDaniel said.
“I have to coach a lot better as well. We will find out who and what we’re made of… We will change our style of play if we have to. Everything is on the table.”
McDaniel went on to call “one to two of” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s three interceptions as “extremely preventable”.
But unlike the situation in New York, Tagovailoa is still the clear top quarterback in the pecking order with rookie Quinn Ewers backing him up and Zach WilsoN=n the emergency option.
CONCERN FOR SUPERSTAR COMMANDERS QB
Dak Prescott threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Dallas Cowboys over visiting Washington 44-22.
Cee Dee Lamb, who missed the past three games with an ankle injury, caught five passes for 110 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown pass.
The loss is just the least of Washington’s concerns, however, after superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels went down with a hamstring injury.
EAGLES’ MALIGNED PASSING GAME SPARKS TO LIFE
Elsewhere, Jalen Hurts delivered a masterful performance to lead Super Bowl champion Philadelphia over Minnesota.
Hurts completed 19-of-23 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns without an interception to inspire the Eagles over host Minnesota 28-22.
It was the first 300-yard passing game in 22 games over more than a year for Hurts, who threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith and touchdown tosses of 26 and 37 yards to A.J. Brown, who caught four passes for 121 yards.
The Eagles also had a 42-yard interception return touchdown by Jalyx Hunt.
“We found ways to play good ball and we made big-time plays when we needed to,” Hurts said.
“Defence played a hell of a game. Getting a defensive touchdown is big.
“For us it’s just continue to capitalise on those opportunities. We’ve still got a lot to clean up. We just want to continue to push ourselves.”
Smith caught nine passes for 183 yards.
“He had a hell of a game, probably a career day,” Hurts said.
The Eagles, who had lost their two prior contests, improved to 5-2. The Vikings fell to 3-3.
“We’re still trying to build. We’re still trying to figure things out,” Hurts said.
“Ultimately, when we’re in a position to play for the things we desire to in this organisation, it will be about finding ways to win. Nobody will care how it looks.”
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COLTS CONTINUE FAIRYTALE SEASON, CHIEFS SHUT OUT RAIDERS
Meanwhile, Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns and Jonathan Taylor ran 16 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns to power the Colts over the host Los Angeles Chargers 38-24.
Taylor scored on runs of eight, 19 and 23 yards and Jones connected on TD passes of four yards to Michael Pittman and five yards to Tyler Warren.
In Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, completed 26-of-35 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the Chiefs’ 31-0 home rout over Las Vegas.
Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns in his return to the Chiefs after serving a six-game suspension following his July plea deal over legal charges stemming from a 2024 car crash.
STAFFORD TURNS BACK THE CLOCK, EMERGING SUPERSTAR QB CONTINUES RISE
Matthew Stafford threw for five touchdowns, three of them to Davante Adams, to lead the Los Angeles Rams over Jacksonville 35-7 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Stafford, who had 182 yards without an interception, set an NFL international games record for touchdown tosses and Adams did the same for TD receptions as the Rams improved to 5-2 and the Jaguars slid to 4-3.
While Stafford is in the final few years of his career, New England’s Drake Maye is only just getting started and completed 21-of-23 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns without an interception as the Patriots cruised 31-13 at Tennessee.
The game marked the return of New England coach Mike Vrabel to Nashville, where he coached the Titans from 2018-2023.
IN OTHER GAMES AROUND THE LEAGUE…
At Chicago, D’Andre Swift ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and Kyle Monangai ran for 81 yards and a touchdown to spark the host Bears over the New Orleans Saints 26-14.
Elsewhere, a one-yard touchdown run by Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs with 1:50 remaining gave the Packers a 27-23 triumph at Arizona.
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