C.J. Anderson’s 48-yard touchdown run in overtime against the Patriots. (AAron Ontiveroz, Eric Lutzens and The Denver Post; Getty Images)
Perhaps it was a surprise because Brock Osweiler, a fourth-year quarterback, was playing in only his second game as a starting NFL quarterback.
But he’ll tell you he could have done it as a first-year quarterback.
Osweiler, on the final play of the game that resulted in in overtime, made the call.
On a third-and-1, Osweiler pitched the ball to Anderson, who ran to the left side as tight end Vernon Davis, tackle Ryan Harris and center Matt Paradis cleared a hole in the line for him to break through and sprint up the sideline for the score.
“Brock changed it,” Anderson said. “‘I said, ‘Man, this has a chance.’ And as I got a toss and I just saw Ryan (Harris) deep for me, and I thought if he can get to the hole, I better be able to get to the hole. You just got to get it to the big boys up front, they pretty much create the play and got me a chance to get on the safeties and make them miss, and the next thing you know is history.”
The play was one the Broncos had practiced all week before Sunday’s game.
“We were trying to run the ball (to the) weak (side),” Osweiler said. “They gave us a specific defensive front that we can’t run that ball into, so I checked to our second play that we called in our huddle. The line did a (heck) of a job and C.J. did the rest.”
