DENVER — Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, seemingly stunned by his own success after an improbable fourth-quarter comeback, told the television cameras that he “felt bad for the people that left early” Sunday at Empower Field.
Denver, of course, scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a deficit that was 13 at the half, 19 at the start of the fourth and 18 with under 6 minutes to play.
We caught up with some of the fans who missed the epic comeback, who told us they were “kicking themselves” for walking out on the Broncos when the team was trailing by 18.
Krissy and Brandon White are self-described “die-hards” who told us Broncos season tickets have been in the family since the 1960s. The Whites were making light of the team’s lackluster performance through three quarters.
“I kind of joked [in] the third quarter: I said, ‘Do you think the Broncos can score 20 in the third or in the fourth quarter?’ And we're like, ‘That's a tough one.’”
Things didn’t get much less bleak as the fourth quarter wore on, either. The Broncos fell into a 26-8 hole with 10 minutes to play and didn’t score again until the 5:13 mark. ESPN Analytics gave Denver a 0.2% chance of winning with just over 6 minutes to play.
Their 5-year-old daughter, Berkley – on hand for one of her first Broncos games – was growing restless during the blowout, the Whites said. Combine that with what was a lackluster on-field product through three-and-a-half quarters, they made what they say was an unusual decision to head for the exits and get a jump on traffic.
They made it just outside the stadium when they could tell things were changing.
“We heard the first roar [from fans] when the Broncos scored to make it 16 to 26 and we're like, ‘Oh, are we about to miss something really special?” Brandon said. “So we just stood outside the stadium gates with a few hundred other people cheering.”
Brandon asked a security guard if they could re-enter the stadium – even by a few feet to watch on a nearby screen – but was told no due to stadium rules, Krissy said. The Whites ended up watching the end of the game on a small TV, through a set of bars near the Gate 9 entrance on the south end of the stadium.
The Whites and a few-dozen other early departers could hear the sounds of the comeback – “We could feel the Mile High magic,” they said – but didn’t get to see it live. Texts poured in from friends and family asking if they had left early.
“We're kicking ourselves, but I guess it's made for a fun story now, and we know we'll always stay to the end from now on,” Brandon said.
- The Denver7 Broncos voicemail hotline was ringing off the hook after Sunday's wild finish. Hear fans sound off on the team in the video player below, and leave your own message by calling 303-832-0111
