Denver Broncos Clinch Playoff Berth With Overtime Fumble Recovery

by Joe KozlowskiDecember 29, 2015, 10:37 amNews >

No matter who their quarterback is, the Denver Broncos can count of their defense. On a night when neither offense was at it’s best, a fumble recovery by DeMarcus Ware clinched a 20-17 Broncos win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

On the first drive of overtime, Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron couldn’t handle a shotgun snap; with the ball on the ground, Ware was able to beat his blocker and dive on the ball. “The ball was on the ground and I was feeling like, ‘There’s no way somebody’s going to take this ball from me,” he said. “Felt great to finish the game that way. We thought we were going to finish it with the field goal, but at the end of the game, it’s all about that win.”

After the recovery, Denver drove down the field and allowed kicker Brandon McManus, who missed a field goal at the end of regulation, a chance at redemption. He converted the 37-yard kick, sending Denver to the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

“I’m 24 years old, and I don’t think I’ve ever kicked the ball like that in my life: grade school, elementary school or anything like that,” McManus said of the missed field goal. “I just wrapped my toe around it, and I knew I had to bounce back.”

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“There’s an old saying: ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,'” Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, who threw for 299 yards and a touchdown, said. “And this team finished great tonight.”

And while it wasn’t pretty, the Broncos found a way to win and make it to the postseason; as history has shown, anything can happen once you make it there.

“We’ve won in a lot of ways this year,” Denver safety T.J. Ward said. “Overtime, game-winning field goals, blocked field goals, strips, fumble recoveries. When you get down to the playoffs, you’re going to need all those type of wins.”

Photo: Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware #94 of the Denver Broncos defends against the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 4, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Vikings 23-20. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)