Broncos Rally for 27-24 Win

The Denver Broncos started out their “must-win” game Friday night as if they were going to be run off the field.

With 5:44 gone in the second quarter, they trailed Seattle, 17-0, in a game they needed to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But a 43-yard field goal with 55 seconds left by Rich Karlis gave Denver a come-from-behind 27-24 victory. Karlis had missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt earlier in the fourth quarter,

“I can’t be any prouder of a team than this one,” said Denver Coach Dan Reeves. “This team has been unbelievable all season long.

“We had our backs to the wall early and came back from 17-0. We deserved to win. We showed them why we think we’re one of the best right now.”

Seattle just missed tying the game as time expired when Norm Johnson’s 52-yard field-goal attempt hit the right upright.

“Having that field-goal attempt hit the goal post is kind of indicative of the way the season went for us,” Seattle Coach Chuck Knox said. “We were just a little bit short.”

The Seahawks ( 8-8) were eliminated from playoff contention last Sunday with a loss to the Raiders.

It was the first time they had failed to make the playoffs since Knox became head coach in 1983.

Denver quarterback John Elway had his finest performance as a pro, completing 24 of 42 passes for 432 yards and one touchdown, giving him 4,177 yards in total offense for the season. But he suffered an ankle injury with about 1:40 to play and missed the rest of the game.

Backup Gary Kupiak came in with Denver at the Seattle 33 and drove the Broncos to the 26, setting up Karlis’ game-winner.

Elway was optimistic about the Broncos’ playoff chances.

“We’ve got the confidence,” he said. “We kept fighting back today. It’s been part of this team all year. I just hope we get to the playoffs.”

In order for Denver (11-5) to get an AFC wild-card berth, it would need a loss by either the New York Jets or New England in those teams’ regular-season finales on Sunday.

Karlis said he didn’t kick the ball “very well” on his earlier 34-yard attempt. Of his game-winner, he said: “I didn’t hit that one great, either, but I hit it true enough to go through. It’s been a weird year. I seem to have my concentration on 9 out of 10 kicks.”

The Broncos, who trailed 17-0 in the first half, were behind 24-17 with 5:20 to go after Seattle’s Curt Warner scored on fourth-and-goal from one yard out.

But Elway drove his team 80 yards in eight plays for the game-tying touchdown with 2:35 left, the key play a 60-yard strike to Steve Watson to the Seattle six.

Steve Sewell’s one-yard run four plays later and Karlis’ extra-point kick tied the score at 24-24, setting the stage for Karlis’ winning kick.

After being sacked five times for 47 yards in losses in the first half, Elway was almost sacked on the long pass play. But he scrambled around, then fired the 60-yard bomb to Watson.

The Seahawks went nowhere on their next possession, and Denver got the ball at its 40 for the game-winning drive after Dave Finzer shanked a 33-yard punt.

Seattle jumped off to a 17-0 lead on a 41-yard scoring pass from Dave Krieg to Daryl Turner in the first quarter, a 29-yard field goal by Johnson in the second period, and Terry Taylor’s 15-yard return of a blocked punt, also in the second quarter.

Denver battled back to cut the lead to 17-10 at halftime on a 17-yard scoring pass from Elway to Watson and Karlis’ 25-yard field goal.

After a scoreless third quarter, Denver tied the game, 17-17, on a one-yard run by Gerald Willhite with 13:20 left.

Warner’s touchdown later set the stage for the game-ending fireworks. Warner finished with 92 yards on 18 carries, giving him 1,094 yards rushing for the season.

Krieg completed 17 of 40 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks. He was intercepted once for the game’s only turnover.

Sewell had five catches for 62 yards for Denver, while Seattle’s Steve Largent had four receptions for 65 yards to give him 10,064 yards receiving in his career. He became only the fifth receiver to top the 10,000-yard mark.

Largent now has caught at least one pass in 123 straight games, the second longest streak in league history. Harold Carmichael holds the all-time record of 127.