The New York Jets’ last-minute victory at Miami on Monday night means the Broncos could be the sixth and final seed in the AFC playoffs. A Jets defeat Monday night would have meant the Broncos would be the No. 5 seed or out of the playoffs.
While Denver still can be the final seed because of the Jets’ 13-10 win at Miami, the Broncos still are in control of their destiny. They will be the No. 5 seed in the playoffs if they beat San Francisco at Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon.
Denver also could clinch a playoff berth if Kansas City loses to visiting Jacksonville in a game that will be played prior to the Broncos’ game. Still, if the host Jets beat Oakland (2-13), the Broncos would have to win to get the No. 5 seed. A Denver win would give it the No. 5 seed over the Jets because of its 8-4 conference record.
Denver players said on Sunday it was up to them to beat the 49ers in a continued drive for a playoff berth.
“We just have to focus on ourselves,” defensive tackle Gerard Warren said. “We need to get into the playoffs and clean the slate.”
Raising the bar
Darrent Williams often says he wants to be the best cornerback in the NFL. But the Broncos’ right cornerback said he’ll have to wait until the guy across the secondary from him retires for his goal to be a possibility.
“Just looking at Champ makes me want to get better,” Williams said. “Sometimes, I tell Champ he makes me look bad because he’s so good. But I’m glad he’s there. It makes me work harder.”
Bailey didn’t do anything to change Williams’ opinion Sunday. In a year that could end up with Bailey winning the NFL defensive player of the year award, Bailey added his ninth interception and had a fumble recovery. In a battle of stars, Bailey shut down Bengals receiver Chad Johnson. With Bailey covering him much of the game, Johnson had three catches for 32 yards.
It’s all inspiration for Williams, a second-year player.
“Champ just raises the bar,” Williams said. “He did it again in this game. Champ makes you want to get better.”
Reverse psychology
The Broncos are using the receiver reverse play more often. Against Cincinnati, receiver Javon Walker ran the ball three times, one for a first down on Denver’s go-ahead 99-yard touchdown drive, and rookie receiver Brandon Marshall had one run. For the season, Walker has nine runs, Marshall has two runs, receiver Rod Smith has one and tight end Tony Scheffler has one.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan said the reverse is an option to the running game. Shanahan said it was especially feasible Sunday in the snowy weather.
“With our running game, sometimes we’ll run quarterback keeps and sometimes we’ll run reverses, but with a zone type of blocking scheme sometimes the arounds are better than the quarterback keeps especially when it’s a little slick out there,” Shanahan said. “So we decided to go with a few more arounds than we did with quarterback keeps and it worked out good for us.”
Foxworth update
Domonique Foxworth continued to feel well Monday, his agent Brian Mackler said. Foxworth is expected to be fine for practice Wednesday.
Foxworth caused a scare for the team after the game Sunday when he fell ill. The team said he hyperventilated. He was attended to and was able to leave the locker room on his own. He did not need further treatment.
Foxworth said he was fine but was very cold. Foxworth had an outstanding game and finished with a game-high 14 tackles at safety. He received a game ball for his play.
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
CHALK TALK
Who was the MVP of the drive, RB Mike Bell or QB Jay Cutler? Broncos reporter Mike Klis breaks down the Broncos’ 99-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that was pivotal in their 24-23 win Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals.
POINT, COUNTERPOINT: With apologies to Jay Cutler’s three completions that netted 60 yards, the biggest play of the drive was Mike Bell’s 14-yard run. It came from the Broncos’ 2-yard line on second-and-9. If Bell is stuffed, Cutler would have been facing third-and-long and dropping back into his own end zone. Instead, Bell’s run behind left guard Ben Hamilton and left tackle Erik Pears got the team out of the hole, and freed Cutler to operate. On the next play, Cutler threw a splendid touch pass to his buddy Tony Scheffler for a 25-yard gain. And off the Broncos went until Bell stormed in from 2 yards out. “I didn’t do a whole lot that drive, to tell you the truth,” Cutler said. “Made a couple passes, but we were just running the ball so well. The line did a heck of a job all day.”
IN CONCLUSION: It was nice of Cutler to say his line played well “all day” even though he was sacked on three straight possessions in the first quarter. Credit the coaching staff and the offensive line, however, for making in-game adjustments as Cutler was never sacked again. With Cutler’s passing accounting for 60 yards and Bell’s running accounting for 32 yards, maybe the O-line was the MVP of the drive. But Bell’s key run was the biggest play.
EYE ON … The 49ers
SAN FRANCISCO AT DENVER, 2:15 p.m., Sunday
For the record: The 49ers are 6-9 and in third place in the NFC West.
Last game: Lost 26-20 at home to Arizona on Sunday.
Streaking: This entire series – the teams have met 11 times since 1970 – has been built on streaks. The 49ers have win streaks of two and three and the Broncos have win streaks of four and own the current streak of two over the 49ers.
Who’s hot: Rookie tight end Vernon Davis, the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft, had four catches for 91 yards against the Cardinals. After a slow start, Davis has been playing better recently.
Who’s not: He has had a great season, but star running back Frank Gore had just 51 yards against the Cardinals.
Key stat: The 49ers couldn’t get their hands on the ball against Arizona. The Cardinals had the ball 15 minutes, 20 seconds more than the 49ers, and the Cardinals ran 69 plays compared to the 49ers’ 45.
FYI: In 2000, the 49ers and Broncos closed out the regular season in Denver. It was historical for both teams. It was the Broncos’ final game at Mile High Stadium, and it was Jerry Rice’s final game for the 49ers. The Broncos won 38-9.
Injury update: Offensive tackle Jonas Jennings suffered a dislocated right shoulder Sunday.
The line: Denver by 10 1/2.
Coachspeak: “There is a clear picture in my mind of where this team is and where it’s going. It’s frustrating that we didn’t put this away. It’s a disappointed locker room.” – San Francisco coach Mike Nolan, after the loss to the Cardinals
– Bill Williamson
