Second Half Team: Denver Broncos Come Back to Beat LA Rams in Instant Classic
The Broncos in the first half of games are a joke. But they become a great team in second halves.
Down 16-0 at halftime, the Denver Broncos scored 30 points in the second half to beat the LA Rams.
That included:
- Two 2-point conversions to tie it up.
- A pick-6 at the perfect time.
- 3 lead changes in the final 5 minutes.
- One more interception to seal the deal.
This game was an instant classic through and through. Even though it looked like stinker in the first half. Or maybe, because of that.
The Denver Broncos are a Second Half Team™️
Usually, "Second Half Team" is reserved for those diehard fans who never give up on their squad even though it doesn't know how to play winning football.
But for Broncos Country, Second Half Team™️ is a badge of honor.
It's a warning of sorts for the opposing team and their fans.
"Yeah, you might be up at half but this is a Second Half Team, bud. Sit down and hope your team doesn't fumble the bag."
Denver's offense was lifeless in the first half vs. LA. They had a mere 67 total yards and were 2-6 on 3rd downs.
Meanwhile, the Rams moved the ball up and down the field effortlessly. Although, one bright spot was that Denver's defense bent and didn't break in the second quarter, holding LA to three field goals.
Each one of those stops were important, which became clear as the game went on.
Out of halftime, Bo Nix looked refreshed, renew; reborn.
Kolbe Katsis, the undrafted punt return man jump-started the team with his 28-yard return into Rams territory. It was a big play in his first NFL game.
"The one return was a spark for us. The punt return (from Katsis)," Sean Payton said from the podium. "I think it was a good first night."
Nix took over from there, riding his running game before finding Pat Bryant in the end zone for the Broncos first score of the night.
That was good, but the throw to Jaylen Waddle for the 2-point conversion was like a Madden glitch. It barely cleared the defender's helmet.
That's when the Broncos stole all the momentum the Rams built in the first half.
Denver's D forced a punt and a short field; the offense capitalized again.
New playcaller Davis Webb got into a groove, dialing up runs to J.K. Dobbins and a handoff to Jaylen Waddle before Nix found Nate Adkins open for the touchdown. Then, down 16-14, they went for 2 again and got it, this time to Pat Bryant to tie it up at 16-16.
New game, 2:15 left in the 3rd quarter.
A silly Nix interception set the Rams up with a 48-yard field goal and the lead. And a 3-and-out from the Broncos set LA up with a chance to extend their advantage.
Play of the Game
But that's when Talanoa Hufanga made the play of the game.
He not only picked off Matthew Stafford, he took it to the house. Just like that, Denver was back ahead 23-19 with under 5 minutes to play. It was Stafford's 33rd pick-6 of his career, an NFL record.
But the Rams aren't a team that just fades away. They went 77 yards in four plays, including a bomb touchdown to Kenata Mumpfield when Riley Moss was gassed, to retake the lead.
Down 26-23 now, the Broncos had plenty of time (3:38) to move the ball into field goal range and tie it up.
Cris Collinsworth said they should just run the clock out and punch in a touchdown, but that seemed like too much to ask from the offense that turned it over and went 3-and-out in their last two drives.
That's basically what Denver did though, miraculously.
Nix hit Bryant for a 39-yard completion in the middle of the field, and then found Troy Franklin alone outside the numbers for another 21-yard gain. Just like that they were in chip shot field goal range at the 2-minute warning.
Time to punch it in.
The Controversial DPI
That's when the "controversial" play of the game happened; Nix was rushed, scrambled, threw off his back foot and the ball was somehow intercepted by Josh Wallace. But the officials called defensive pass interference (correctly) and the drive continued.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay did not believe Rams CB Josh Wallace should have been flagged for pass interference, in what may have otherwise been an interception. The Broncos went on to score what would serve as the game-winning TD.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) 2026-09-28T04:04:28.477Z
The Broncos capitalized with Nix going over the top of the pile for the game-winning touchdown.
Still, with 47 seconds to play, the Rams didn't roll over and die.
Needing a touchdown, they moved the ball with a quickness into the red zone.
That's when Denver's defense and the hometown crowd turned up the volume.
Mile High Thunder
With a mere 2 seconds on the clock, Stafford couldn't hear Sean McVay's play call. The best fans in football were going buck wild and generated so much noise he had to run to the sideline like he was playing peewee football to get the play.
Denver actually called a timeout when it looked like there would be a delay of game, and Stafford had to get the play call a second time.
And when he snapped it, the Broncos sent 5 while placing 5 guys at the goal line; Hufanga sealed the deal with his second pick of the night.
Sean Payton, Zach Allen on the Second Half Team™️
“Obviously a gutsy win, really a tale of two halves and a ton of respect for those guys, a good team tonight," Payton started his press conference. "Like I said, I think the halves couldn’t have been more different.”
Why do the Broncos play so poorly in the first halves of games? That's the question, but no one — not even Payton — has the answer.
But they do know how to respond once they're down, at least.
"A mature group," Zach Allen said to the SNF on NBC crew. "We've been in games like this for two years now. We never feel like we're out of it or down, it's just what's the next play, how do we fix it?"
"We basically have two head coaches," Allen continued. "We were blessed that VJ [Vance Joseph] came back this year."
He said there was a sense of calm over the huddle when the Broncos called the timeout before LA's final play.
This instant classic of a game was won in all three phases of the game; defense, offense, and special teams.
However, this wasn't any ordinary comeback, it's the first time the Broncos have won back-to-back games when trailing by 10-plus at halftime.
Here are some more stats highlighting the Broncos as a Second Half Team:
- Denver's 15th comeback win since last season including the playoffs, most in the NFL.
- It was also the Broncos 8th win after trailing in the 4th quarter or overtime, since the start of the 2025 season, most in the NFL.
- The Broncos went 3-3 in the red zone in the second half.
- Denver outscored their last two opponents 47-13 in the second half.
- Bo Nix is a comeback king. This was Nix's 11th 4th quarter comeback including the playoffs, most in the NFL since 2024.
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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
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