Broncos reporter Mike Klis analyzes a play from the team’s 24-20 victory at Atlanta on Sunday:
The play: Trailing 20-17 with 5:42 left and facing third-and-goal from the Falcons’ 9, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler connected with tight end Daniel Graham in the back of the end zone for what held up as the game-winning touchdown pass.
Point/counterpoint: On the play, the Broncos sent out five receivers — tight end Tony Scheffler and wideout Brandon Marshall on the left, wideout Eddie Royal and Graham on the right, and tailback Peyton Hillis flared out right. Scheffler and Graham ran to deep points in the end zone while Marshall and Royal cut off their patterns at the 5. Cutler was well-protected, but with everyone covered and the pocket beginning to leak from the inside, he bounced right to gain time. Atlanta dropped into a cover-2 zone. Two defenders jumped on Royal, who settled in the middle of the field. Graham took two steps toward the goalposts and into the clear. Cutler zipped it in, and the Broncos had a 24-20 lead.
Future prospects: This play as much as any other demonstrates how Cutler has made the leap to the league’s elite tier of quarterbacks. Only the best consistently turn a busted play into a positive development. This play broke down, and Cutler turned it into a game-winning touchdown. It was the second fourth-quarter winning drive in two weeks for Cutler, who has six such game-saving drives in his 31-game career.
