The 11-4 Bengals’ bid to secure a first-round bye took a major hit Monday night in a Mile High classic when they couldn’t capitalize on a dominant first half and lost, 20-17, in overtime when the 11-4 Broncos overcame a 14-0 deficit.
The Bengals now need to beat the Ravens in next week’s finale at Paul Brown Stadium and get a Denver loss at home to San Diego to get the bye.
The game ended when Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron let a shot-gun snap slither through his hands and the Broncos recovered the fumble at the Cincinnati 23, spoiling a game effort by the Bengals backup. It was their only turnover of the game.
The Bengals defense couldn’t get off the field to open overtime on the third play, which was third-and-10. Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler stepped up in the pocket and found tight end Owen Daniels for a first down, his third huge catch starting in the last two minutes of regulation.
Denver got 15 more yards when WILL linebacker Vontaze Burfict was called for hitting tight end Virgil Green out of bounds. Then on third-and seven and Denver trying to get into field-goal range, wide receiver Demaryious Thomas made a great one-handed catch over the middle for a first down despite blanket coverage by cornerback Adam Jones.
That set up Brandon McManus’ 37-yard field goal five minutes into the overtime and that stood up for the winner.
In a wild finish to regulation, the Bengals gave up a microwave drive to Osweiler that began on his 20 with 1:40 left. The Bengals pretty much kept with their four-man rush, but Osweiler had time to hurt them over the middle, the big one a 26-yarder to Daniels. But on the last play of regulation, McManus badly shanked a 45-yard field goal to the left. Not even close.
Osweiler turned the tables on the Bengals after throwing just eight passes in the first half for 89 yards. He went up top in the second half 31 times and finished with a 100.9 passer rating on 27 of 39 for 299 yards.
As the game went to overtime, the night was down to 12 degrees and Alabama’s AJ McCarron held up to the rush and thermostat. He was 22 of 35 for 200 yards passing for an 87.8 passer rating and didn’t turn it over until his last play.
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