Denver's 16th Straight One-Score Win Sets an NFL Record

The record

The Denver Broncos set a new NFL record on Sunday, winning their 16th consecutive regular-season game decided by one score. The 26-21 win over the Carolina Panthers moved Denver past the previous record held by the 2008-09 Indianapolis Colts. m:…9176

The people inside the building say it is not luck. Head coach Sean Payton said the team's repeated success in close games is not accidental, tackle Mike McGlinchey credited the football character of the people in the organization, and quarterback Bo Nix said the team stays comfortable in high-pressure, late-game moments. General manager George Paton and Payton prioritize bringing in tough, focused players, McGlinchey said. m:…9176

How the 16th was won

The win improved Denver to 7-2 and marked a fifth consecutive victory. Bo Nix delivered a 26-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant midway through the fourth quarter, rookie Jonah Coleman powered into the end zone from 9 yards out with 10:17 to play, and safety Devon Key recorded the first interception of his career, picking off Bryce Young in the end zone. The game was sealed when Nik Bonitto ripped the ball away from Young on a fourth-quarter strip-sack and recovered the fumble. m:…5604

The details around the win were steady rather than spectacular: Denver scored 10 points in the first quarter, its most in an opening quarter this season, converted six of 10 third downs, and is 3-2 on the road in 2026. Bryant led all Broncos receivers with 56 yards. Malcolm Roach and Jonathon Cooper split a fourth-quarter sack of Young on a key third down, and Roach tied his career high in sacks with the half-sack. m:…5604

The weekend kept producing them

Denver was not the only one-score finish of the weekend. The New Orleans Saints beat the Cleveland Browns 23-22 in overtime, the Browns' first back-to-back losses of the season, dropping them to 5-4. Shedeur Sanders, starting in place of the inactive Deshaun Watson, finished 19 of 31 for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and Harold Fannin Jr. scored on a 39-yard touchdown reception in overtime. But Cleveland failed to convert the two-point conversion that would have won it, after Andre Szmyt's 51-yard field goal had sent the game to overtime. Juwan Johnson scored a 15-yard touchdown reception in overtime for the Saints, and KC Concepcion Jr. scored his first career touchdown on a 64-yard pass. m:…5330 m:…2517

Dallas beat Indianapolis 27-23 in the final minute. CeeDee Lamb hauled in 10 catches for 195 yards, the second-highest total of his career, and Dak Prescott completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 335 yards and two scores. Dallas outgained the Colts 508 yards to 271 and held Jonathan Taylor to 46 rushing yards, but was flagged 14 times for 153 yards. Tyler Goodson picked up a personal-best 77 rushing yards, rookie Seth McGowan scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run, Spencer Shrader kicked a 59-yard field goal, and rookie Caleb Downs recorded the first interception of his career. The defense, led by Christian Parker, recorded two turnovers and two sacks, while Daniel Jones totaled 180 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. m:…5765

The other side: Carolina still tied for first

The loss dropped the Panthers to 3-5, but they remain tied for first place in the NFC South: Tampa Bay is also 3-5, New Orleans improved to 3-5 with the overtime win over Cleveland, and Atlanta is only a half-game back at 3-6. The Panthers return to division play next week at New Orleans, against a Saints team that swept them last year. Carolina reached the playoffs at 8-9 last season, and the players' message is to take it one week at a time. m:…2517