Broncos Beat Saints On Incredible Blocked Extra Point, Will Parks’ Controversial Return

Will Parks grabs a blocked extra point.

In one of the wildest finishes in Black and Gold history, the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos returned a blocked extra point for two points and an improbable 25-23 victory before a stunned sellout crowd 0f 73,138 at the Mercedes Benz-Superdome.

The Saints led 17-10 and appeared headed for a clinching score in the fourth quarter when Thomas caught a pass over the middle and ran into Broncos’ territory, but cornerback Bradley Roby punched the ball from Thomas’ grasp, and safety Darian Stewart picked it up and returned the fumble 28 yards to the New Orleans 27.

“It’s been a tougher year in the sense of obviously, the injuries, and haven’t faced that (limitation) before”, Wilson said.

“It’s hard to tell”, Payton said on Monday. “But I thought there were a number of encouraging signs for us”.

TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay defense forced four turnovers in the first half, including a pick-six from safety Chris Conte, and beat Chicago for its first home win of the season. It’s just something we’ve got to improve upon up front with everything we’re doing.

“We’re going to need him to make some plays down the stretch and we will”, Brees said. This win over the Saints showed us that the Broncos can win in a dome like Houston or even on the road outdoors in Arrowhead, Oakland, and maybe even Foxborough. “.It was nice today to kind of get our feet wet a little bit to get a game-changing play and help this team get a W”. “At least I did not see one”. “I don’t see nobody out there that’s immaculate”, said Alton Alexis, who was watching the game with family. “I think they had 13 points off of turnovers and we had 10”. For the umpteenth time, they bailed out a pedestrian Broncos offense. Denver’s offensive line did a bad job in pass protection. “Those guys that care so much, that’s the reason why you tell them hey, just let it go”. It was the beginning of 17 straight Saints points.

Lutz came close to stepping out of bounds on the play, but after a replay review, the official determined that he did not, resulting in an 84-yard two-point return.

After a review, the officials chose to stick with the call on the field, meaning the two-pointer was good. Parks’ white cleats might have factored into that decision. Brees threw two interceptions in the first half, and rookie receiver Michael Thomas fumbled twice in the second. There inevitably might be some controversy to arise from the Broncos’ win, anyway.

“The way they’ve come together, all these guys that got hurt, the team pulled together, excellent job of coaching”. “We know what we’re capable of if we execute”.

– A win would have put the Saints over.500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season when they finished 11-5 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Saints typically don’t take silver linings from losses, but against Denver it proved something to Brees and the team.

The Panthers [3-6] had led 17-0, but allowed Kansas City [7-2] to come all the way back and Cairo Santos nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to snatch victory. Kudos to the Broncos and their staff for coaching that technique.

Seattle (6-2-1) won on Russell Wilson’s arm (348 yards, 124.6 passer rating), Doug Baldwin’s mitts (three TD catches) and that fierce defense.