Broncos rally from 14-point deficit to hand Eagles their first loss of the season, 21-17

Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive end Zach Allen bring down Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, October 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. — AP Photo/Chris Szagola

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Bo Nix threw an 11-yard touchdown pass and J.K. Dobbins rushed for a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter as the Denver Broncos erased a 14-point deficit to hand the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season, 21-17, on Sunday.

The Broncos batted down Jalen Hurts’ last-gasp pass on the final play of the game, sending the Super Bowl champions to just their second defeat in their last 22 games.

Denver (3-2) caught a huge break during their rally when the Eagles had a late fourth-down conversion called back due to an illegal shift penalty against running back Saquon Barkley. This forced Philadelphia (4-1) to punt, and Hurts was unable to lead another comeback attempt. His final pass, on second-and-10 from the 29-yard line, was knocked down as time expired, securing the improbable Broncos victory.

Nix celebrated by waving his arms toward dozens of Broncos fans dressed in orange who had gathered near the visitors’ tunnel.

Nix threw for 242 yards — a week after throwing for a career-high 326 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals — as Denver’s run-first offense and dominant defense came alive in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos totaled just 199 yards and trailed 17-3 at the end of the third quarter before Nix jump-started the offense.

Dobbins, who followed up his 101 rushing yards against Cincinnati with 79 yards on Sunday, punched in a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make the score 17-10.

The Broncos regained possession, and Nix connected with Courtland Sutton for a 34-yard gain on the decisive drive. He then found Evan Engram over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.

Head coach Sean Payton gambled on a two-point conversion, which paid off when Nix hit Tony Franklin, putting Denver ahead 18-17 with 7:36 remaining in the game.

The play stunned and silenced the Philadelphia crowd — a familiar gut punch coming off the Phillies’ blown three-run lead the previous night in a playoff loss to the Dodgers.

However, the resilient Eagles were far from ready to surrender their 10-game winning streak.

At fourth-and-4 from their own 49-yard line, Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on a long reception that should have resulted in a first down — only for a penalty on Barkley for an illegal shift to wipe the play off the board. Smith finished with eight catches for 114 yards.

That marked the end of the Eagles’ late push.

Will Lutz added a 36-yard field goal with 1:11 left to extend Denver’s lead to 21-17.

Hurts threw for 280 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert and a 47-yard TD pass to Barkley in the third quarter that had given the Eagles a 17-10 lead.

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### Injuries

**Broncos:** Running back Tyler Badie left late in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury.

**Eagles:** Guard Landon Dickerson suffered an ankle injury, and tight end Grant Calcaterra was sidelined with an oblique injury.

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### Up Next

The Eagles have a short trip on a short week, facing the New York Giants on Thursday night.

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