Justin Strnad didn’t start Sunday but he made the play of the game.

The Broncos inside linebacker picked off a pass from New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart with 4:47 left, for the game’s only turnover. And it proved pivotal in Denver’s dramatic 33-32 comeback win at Empower Field at Mile High.

“That probably was the difference in winning and losing the game,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Strnad had taken over for an injured Dre Greenlaw for the six games. But Greenlaw, who had a quad injury, got the start against the Giants after being activated Saturday off injured reserve.

Nevertheless, Strnad got in for plenty of snaps. He came up big in a fourth quarter in which the Broncos had trailed 19-0 and 26-8 and were down 26-16 when the Giants faced third-and-5 at their 35 with 4:56 remaining.

“Things weren’t going good for us in that second half, and I was able to make a big play,’’ said Strnad, who stepped in front of Theo Johnson at the Giants’ 40 and returned the pick to the 19.

The Broncos soon cut the deficit to 26-23 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to RJ Harvey with 3:51 left. They eventually won on a 39-yard field goal by Wil Lutz on the final play.

Strnad said it came down to “just reading the quarterback’s eyes.”

“That’s a play that we practice a lot,’’ Strnad said. “It applies pressure to the quarterback and forces him to make a decision. I thought he was going to take off and run, and then he tried to throw something behind me, and it worked out.”

Did it ever.

“What a play by Strnad,’’ said Broncos tackle Mike McGlinchey. “The only way we get that game is with that turnover. … That’s the play of the game right there.”

McGlinchey left the game twice late in the fourth quarter with a lower body injury but said after the game he was fine.

Winning for memory of Thomas

During Alumni Weekend, the Broncos held a 10-year reunion for the 2015 team that won Super Bowl 50 and Demaryius Thomas, a star receiver on that team who died in 2021, was inducted in the Ring of Fame. Players from the 2015 team walked out at halftime Sunday in their jerseys and the placard on the stadium façade with Thomas’ No. 88 was unveiled.

It made for an emotional time for tackle Garett Bolles, who joined the Broncos in 2017 and is their longest tenured player.

“It was definitely an emotional game for me,’’ Bolles said. “Obviously, I felt (Thomas) looked down on us. … He was the first guy who called me on draft night (when Bolles was a first-round pick in 2017). I actually still have that voicemail. Every once in a while, I’ll pull it out and listen to it. Love him. Dearly miss him every single day. He was a heck of a teammate, a heck of a leader. And then obviously the reunion of Super Bowl 50, I know so many guys on that team.”

Bolles against the Giants got the first receiving target of his nine-year career. Late in the second quarter, he lined up as eligible when the Broncos had second-and-goal at the Giants 2. But the pass from Bo Nix to him in the end zone was tipped and fell incomplete.

The Broncos turned the ball over on downs on that drive. But they stormed back to win in the fourth quarter.

“Just a great win for the state, for this team, for Broncos Country,’’ Bolles said. “We’re for real. This is who we are.’’

Record-setting day

The Broncos had a fourth quarter for the ages.

The Broncos tied the team record for biggest fourth-quarter comeback. They also came back from 19 points to defeat the Baltimore Colts 21-19 on Dec. 11, 1983.

The Broncos set a team record for most points in any quarter with 33. And their 33 points in the fourth quarter tied for the second most in a game in NFL history. The only team to score more was Detroit, getting 34 against Chicago on Sept. 30, 2007.

After the game, though, Payton reminded his players how ugly the first three quarters were, when they fell behind 19-0.

“They didn’t quit, but it’s important we don’t let the euphoria of a win like that cloud the things that need to get cleaned up (Monday),’’ he said. “So they’ll enjoy it (Sunday night), but there are a lot of things that we’re still doing, particularly offensively, that trouble me, and we’ll get it fixed.”

Lutz drills game winner

Lutz was elated to drill the game-winning field goal in one of the most exhilarating games in which he’s participated.

“This is what you play for,’’ he said. “It’s so much fun to be a part of those and this is up there with one of those special games I’ve been a part of. I’m just happy to be on the right side of it.”

In Week 2 at Indianapolis, Lutz missed a 42-yard field goal with 3:15 left in the game that could have put the Broncos up 31-26. The Broncos ended up losing 29-28 on a 45-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader on the final play.

Lutz said on that game he “didn’t go through my process” correctly. He said that has been corrected and that “nobody had a doubt” about Sunday’s boot being good.

Briefly

Running back C.J. Anderson, who played for the Broncos from 2013-17 and rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown in their 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50, returned to Denver for the first time since being released by the team in April 2018. “The fans have been fun,’’ he said. “A couple of fans were saying, ‘C.J., we missed you. It’s great to have you back. You always have love here.”’ … After he carried seven times for 18 yards in the first half, Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins finished with 14 carries for 81 yards. But he was disappointed with Denver’s overall performance. “To be honest, it doesn’t feel sweet,’’ he said. “It’s good to get the win, but we can’t have that.” … As expected, Alex Palczewski became the third left guard to start in the past three games. The two previous starters, Ben Powers and Matt Peart, both suffered injuries and were put on injured reserve. … Tackle Frank Crum was active for the first time this season. Inactive were outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, who missed his second straight game with a hip injury, running back Jaleel McLaughlin, defensive linemen Jordan Jackson and Sai’vion Jones and defensive back J.T. Gray. … Giants edge rusher Brian Burns had two sacks while Denver’s Nik Bonitto didn’t have one. So Burns and Byron Young of the Los Angeles Rams are tied for NFL sack lead with 9.0 while Bonitto remains at 8.0.