McCarron fumbles snap in OT, Bengals lose 20-17 to Broncos

The Bengals play calling in the second half was anything but good, the coaching staff looked lost on how to help McCarron play the game.

The last time Cincinnati blew a halftime lead of 11 or more was on December 11, 2011, when the fell to Houston 20-19 after leading 16-3 at the break. But the hero, Anderson suddenly turned goat, fumbling the ball away with 4:12 left in the contest but ultimately it did not cost the Broncos the win.

McCarron had driven the Bengals on two long first-half drives, covering 80 and 90 yards and eating up a total of 16:24 to put Cincinnati ahead 14-0.

Osweiler, who threw for 299 yards, connected with Sanders on a short TD throw for Denver’s first third-quarter points since November 8 at Indianapolis, making it 14-10.

The Broncos are headed to the National Football League playoffs thanks to a blown snap by the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (5) his hit as he slides by Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray (56) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 28, 2015, in Denver.

The Cincinnati Bengals did everything right in the first half of their Monday night match up against the Denver Broncos.

“It was my fault”.

Although McCarron felt like he let the team down, he showed more positives than negatives in a second straight promising performance. “Once the dude [Green] flopped, the ref looked at me and seen it was my number and then threw the flag”. “Tonight was about this football team and what this football team went out there and did was truly special”. But the Broncos rebounded to take a 17-14 lead, only to have the game tied on a fourth-quarter field goal.

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus missed a chance to end the game when he missed a field goal at the end of regulation. Sanders has now gone over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and will wrap up Week 17 with the Chargers.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) is tackled by Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 28, 2015, in Denver.

Browns: Coach Mike Pettine hadn’t seen the latest viral online video featuring quarterback Johnny Manziel when he spoke to reporters Monday afternoon, but Pettine said he would discuss it with Manziel. “A great win in front of the best fans in the world, they supported us all night, and we’re very happy to get this win”. “Now, we’re going to move on”. Andy Dalton isn’t ready to come back, which leaves them with Keith Wenning for Sunday’s finale against Baltimore at Paul Brown Stadium. “I could feel that already”.

“There’s an old saying: ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, ‘” Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler said.

“I said, ‘Ed, what happened?” “I was thinking in my mind, ‘If I don’t get to this ball, we’re not making the playoffs'”.

Osweiler hurt his elbow on one of Carlos Dunlap’s three sacks. “(The players) knew I was going to come back. Dr. Dale Guyer, who started The Guyer Institute, says “with absolute certainty” that the allegations about Manning are false. The Bengals rolled up 170 yards on their first two series, 124 for the rest of the game.

“It was the same thing in Pittsburgh when I missed the extra point”, he said of last week’s game. “We focused on our jobs, one play at a time, and we were able to march down the field”.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Both the Bengals and Broncos have that one ingredient teams covet in the playoffs: a stout defense.