The playoffs, which two weeks ago seemed far off in the distance, today are just over the Broncos’ dashboard.
A loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, and things would have gotten greasy. But the Broncos, thanks to their resident superstar cornerback, got the job done when they had to.
That would be Champ Bailey, who had an interception and fumble recovery in the first half, both of which led to Denver touchdowns. Bailey’s theatrics enabled the Broncos to bounce back from an early 7-0 deficit and beat the Bengals 24-23 amid a steady flurry of snow at Invesco Field.
The victory didn’t ensure the Broncos (9-6) of a playoff berth, but with one game remaining in the season, they’re in an enviable position. They own the No. 5 seed in the AFC. With San Francisco next on their schedule, it would be a major shock if they didn’t make it.
Not that things couldn’t have turned out differently Sunday. Jay Cutler threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Bengals the ball on the Denver 5-yard line. Moments later, the Broncos got their first break of the day when Carson Palmer overthrew a wide-open T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the end zone, with the ball landing in Darrent Williams’ arms for his fourth interception this season.
The Bengals led 7-0 late in the first quarter when Bailey stepped in front of Chad Johnson and came away with his league-leading ninth interception. Five plays later, Cutler found Tony Scheffler in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass. The tie didn’t last long, though, thanks to Bailey.
On the third play of the Bengals’ next drive, Domonique Foxworth stripped the ball from Johnson, and Bailey pounced on it. Cutler didn’t waste any time taking advantage of the turnover, firing a 39-yard touchdown pass to Javon Walker on the next play to give the Broncos the lead.
Cincinnati bounced back to take a 17-14 halftime lead, only to have the Broncos pull away in the second half. They regained the lead in a most unusual way – on a 99-yard drive in a snowstorm. The Broncos, who were 0-for-5 on third-down conversions in the first half, were 3-for-3 on the drive, which ended with Mike Bell going in from two yards out.
The Bengals’ last chance ended with 41 seconds remaining in the game following a 10-yard TD pass from Palmer to Houshmandzadeh. The extra-point attempt failed when the snap was mishandled.
With the loss, Cincinnati dropped to 8-7, making the Bengals just another face in the crowd of teams scrambling for an AFC playoff berth.
