Broncos in playoffs with win over Bengals: In a thriller of a game that featured backup quarterbacks A.J. McCarron and Brock Osweiler, it was the Denver Broncos who escaped with a 20-17 overtime win that earned them a playoff spot.
The two quarterbacks, Osweiler and McCarron, played solid, mistake-free football. Osweiler, 25, finished 27-of-39 for 299 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. McCarron, also 25, finished 22-of-35 for 200 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
The Bengals jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Broncos' offense stormed back to score 17 unanswered points. The Bengals would eventually tie it on a field goal, and a badly missed 37-yard field goal by Broncos kicker Brandon McManus, with just seconds left in regulation, led to overtime. McManus would redeem himself with a field goal in overtime and a Bengals fumble recovered by the Broncos on their next possession sealed the win for Denver.
With the victory, the Broncos avoided a dramatic free fall from playoff contention and put themselves in a position to clinch a division title and a playoff bye with a win over the Chargers in Week 17.
The Bengals, on the other hand, can no longer claim the number one seed in the AFC with the loss. However, they can still clinch a first-round bye with a win and a Broncos loss in Week 17. A first-round bye would behoove the Bengals because Andy Dalton would likely not be ready to play a game during Wild Card Weekend.
It's also a possibility that the Bengals might have to depend on their third-string quarterback in Week 17 as McCarron told reporters following Monday night's game that he injured his wrist on the final play of the game.
McCarron had his eyes down field and was caught off guard by the center's snap. The mistake resulted in a fumble and scuffle for the loose football. According to the quarterback, his wrist was injured as he was diving for the football.
After the game, McCarron pinned the costly loss on himself.
"It's my fault. I told the guys that," McCarron said. "The snap caught me a little by surprise. I was looking just to see how they were adjusting to A.J. [Green] coming in motion, and it just kind of slipped through my hands and hit my rib protector and bounced off. It's my fault. Simple as that."
Brees says Payton and he aren't going anywhere in 2016: Despite missing the playoffs for a second-straight season and currently sporting a 6-9 record, Saints quarterback Drew Brees believes that both he and head coach Sean Payton will be back in New Orleans in 2016.
While appearing on NFLHQ Tuesday morning, Brees was asked if he saw a scenario where he or Payton are not with the Saints in 2016.
"No, I don't," Brees said, via NFL.com. "I think we — a plan was put in place throughout last off season as to how we were going to build a foundation by which to make a run at it in the future. That includes some new faces, that includes some young players that, I think, will all have a chance to come together and kind of build a team that can make a run at it in the future.
"Unfortunately, we had high expectations going into this year and we fell a bit short. But I'm confident with the character, the leadership, the talent we have."
Brees' $30 million cap hit in 2016 could be too high of a price to pay for the Saints given Brees' age and the team's need to address the defensive side of the ball this off season. For Payton, sources close to him suggest that the head coach has his eyes on potential landing spots in case major changes take place.
Even at 36, Brees has thrown for 4,547 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Earlier this season, he became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards in a career.
