The Broncos seem to like primetime games and more specifically comebacks in primetime games. The Broncos clinched a playoff spot with a thrilling 20-17 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The Broncos trailed 14-0 early in the second quarter, then mounted a slow comeback to take a 17-14 lead early in the 4th quarter, and then with the game tied at 17, Brandon McManus shanked a potential game-winning 45 yard field goal. The Broncos and Brock Osweiler drove back down the field in overtime and set up McManus with a 37 yard field goal and a 20-17 lead. From there, the Broncos defense got a fumble by Bengals QB A.J. McCarron and Demarcus Ware recovered to win the game for the Broncos and clinch the playoff spot. It was a great atmosphere and the game felt like a playoff game. It was intense, hard-hitting, and an overall really good game. The Broncos are in the playoffs and now at 11-4 can clinch the AFC West and a first round bye with a win over the Chargers on Sunday. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game....
1) This game started terrible for the Broncos. The Bengals went 80 yards on the first drive and McCarron completed a five yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green for an early 7-0 lead. The next drive, the Bengals drove 95 yards and capped off the drive with a Mohammed Sanu with a 6 yard run on a wildcat package run to give the Bengals the 14-0 lead. The Bengals were dominating the Broncos in the beginning of this game. Give A.J. McCarron credit because he was really good in the beginning of this game. He made some really sick throws on this Broncos defense, and he was in the zone at one point.
2) This game turned on a missed field goal by Mike Nugent in the 2nd quarter. This kick would have put the Bengals up 17-0 but instead the Broncos took advantage of the miss and converted it into a field goal and cut the lead to 14-3 right before the half.
3) Denver got the ball back and they went no-huddle, shotgun, and spread out the Cincy defense, and Osweiler went right down the field and hit Emmanuel Sanders for 8 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-10.
4) Give Wade Phillips and the Broncos defense credit for adjusting in the second half. They were getting killed in man-to-man situations in the first half, and they played more zone coverage in the second half, and they were able to get more pressure on McCarron and made him dropback and make the right read on each throw. It was a very good adjustment, and the Broncos only gave up one field goal in the entire second half.
5) You also have to give credit to Gary Kubiak. The offense couldn't get going at all in the first half, and Kubiak went to a high tempo offense, spread out the Bengals, and let Osweiler try to win it with his arm. Early in the 4th quarter, C.J. Anderson broke a run on a zone run out of the shotgun and he rambled 39 yards to give the Broncos a 17-14 lead with 11 minutes left to play in the game. It was a very good coaching move by Kubiak.
6) Brock Osweiler played really well in another primetime game. He was able to put the game on his shoulders and made some really big throws in the second half and in overtime. He finished 27-39for 299 yards and 1 TD and 0 INT. He rallied his team, and he proved once again that the moment was not too big for him. He has now beaten the Pats and Bengals in two primetime games in overtime this year. Osweiler definitely showed some guts in this one.
7) The 4th quarter of this game was a classic. After Denver took the 17-14 lead, the Bengals tied the game after McCarron made two huge throws on 3rd down to move the chains. At 17-17, the Broncos answered with a big drive inside the Bengals 30 yard line, only to see it end on a C.J. Anderson fumble that was recovered by Cincy. After another big 3rd down conversion by McCarron, the Broncos defense stiffened. A big tackle by Chris Harris on first down, and a huge sack by Derek Wolfe on 2nd down throttled the drive by Cincy, and after a Bengals punt, Osweiler went to work late in the game. Two big throws to Owen Daniels and a big completion to Bennie Fowler to set up McManus for a 45 yarder to win the game. The McManus miss was the worst kick I have ever seen. It was so bad and so wide left that it looked like a high school JV kicker. It was so bad and so awful. At that point, I didn't think the Broncos were going to win the game. I was in shock. He has missed five kicks the last five games, and I am a little worried about him going forward.
8) The Broncos won the toss and received the ball in overtime. Osweiler continued his hot hand and he hit Daniels on a huge 3rd and 10 for a first down, and then after a completion to Virgil Green, Vontaze Burfict pushed him out of bounds to give the Broncos another 15 yards. A big completion to Demaryius Thomas put the ball at the Cincy 20, and Thomas made an incredible one-handed catch on a 3rd and 3 to keep the drive going. McManus hit the short field goal to give Denver the 20-17 lead.
9) McCarron fumbled on the first play of their possession, but the refs called it an incomplete pass. The replay showed that the ball was definitely coming out of his hand before it was going forward after Von Miller crushed his arm, but somehow the refs called it an incomplete pass. Give Kubiak credit for calling a timeout to give the booth a chance to review it. They did, but it didn't work out in Denver's favor which was pretty terrible, but justice was served the next play when McCarron dropped a shotgun snap and Ware recovered it to clinch the playoffs for the Broncos.
10) This was a really great game-even with two backup QBs playing the game. The game was the third coldest home game in Broncos history falling just behind the famous 2012 Divisional Playoff against the Ravens. The atmosphere was a playoff feel, the game was in primetime, and the crowd was just fired up the entire night. It was a really physical game featuring two really good teams and two really good defenses. It just felt like a big game and it was a fun one to watch. The Broncos also game back from a 14-point deficit to win a game for the third time this year (at KC, NE, and Cincy).
11) Congrats to the Broncos for making the playoffs for a 5th consecutive year. It will be their 4th straight year with at least 11 wins, which is a franchise record. If you would have told me that Peyton Manning would only played 9 games this year, then I think I would have said that Denver would have won maybe 5 games. They also lost both of their starting tackles, and they were working in a new offensive line and a new coaching staff. I think John Elway should get credit for assembling a really good roster outside of Manning. I have to give Kubiak some credit because it was a tough situation to take a team that won 13,13, and 12 games the last three years, and not screw the whole thing up. Now, the Broncos have a chance to get a first round bye and clinch their 5th straight AFC West title by beating the lowly Chargers in Denver on Sunday. Monday night made me proud to be a Broncos fan and I am pumped that this team is going to get a chance to get into the playoffs and get a shot at the Super Bowl.
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