A.J. McCarron had a snap go through his hands that was recovered by Demarcus Ware as the Denver Broncos held on for a 20-17 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to clinch a playoff berth on Monday night.
In a game that may have longstanding ramifications for which teams represents the AFC in Super Bowl 50 in February, the Broncos rallied from a 14-0 first half deficit to earn a critical victory and keep hope alive for earning a first-round bye.
With the game tied 17-17 in the closing minutes of regulation, Brock Osweiler hit Owen Daniels on consecutive plays for a total of 42 yards to move Denver into field goal range. Brandon McManus then completely shanked a 45-yard field goal attempt as time expired to force overtime.
The Broncos won the coin toss and clearly enunciated that they wished to receive the kickoff. Denver ran 14 plays, but only moved 46 yards and had to settle for a 37-yard field goal to take the 20-17 lead. However, the Bengals were unable to answer as McCarron was unable to handle the Russell Bodine snap on the second play of overtime to clinch the win for Denver.
With Andy Dalton still trying to get back from a broken thumb, the more time the Bengals can buy for his recovery could be pivotal. A first-round bye would give Dalton an extra week to return to the lineup and a win over Denver would have clinched that opportunity for Cincinnati. Instead, the Broncos now own the tiebreaker over Cincinnati for a bye week.
The Broncos had been starting at a 17-0 deficit when Mike Nugent lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt with 2:31 left in the second quarter. But Nugent missed wide right and the Broncos drove for a 23-yard McManus field goal before the half to make it a 14-3 game at the break.
Denver then marched 81 yards on 11 plays on the first drive of the third quarter. The touchdown pass from Osweiler to Emmanuel Sanders served as the first points scored in the second half by the Broncos in three games.
C.J. Anderson broke free for the go-ahead score as Denver scored 17 unanswered points to take the lead.
A 52-yard field goal by Nugent tied the game at 17 and eventually sent the game to overtime after McManus’ miss at the end of regulation.
