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Lord, you can take me now, cuz I have seen it all! That's the first thing I thought when that snap went wide left(of the holder that is...). I have seen "Hail-Mary" plays win games, I have seen touchdown's scored on an on-side kick, and of course there is the 'Music City Miracle'. But until 7:30PM EST today I have never seen a missed extra point in that type of situation.
Ok, ok. Before I start seeing comments about when this has happened before I believe I have seen it, but it was the best opening to this post I could think of(a little too much egg nog I guess).
So obviously this is a huge win for the Broncos, and the toughest of tough losses for the Bengals. Thougn the magnitude of the win won't be known unless the team gets to the post-season, I put alot of weight into it. It is the first time this season that the Broncos won a game they arguably should have lost. They played well, and forced four Cincy turnovers, but for a major part of the game it had the feel of the Indy game, a game the Broncos led for most of 4 quarters, only to give it away at the end.
I little luck never hurts, but I am a huge believer that one play doesn't define a game, just epitomizes the day's events. That was the case today, with the Bengals playing sloppy with the ball. Dropped passes, fumbles, interceptions in the red zone, all major no-no's. All week I talked about how much these teams have mirrored each other this season, and never more-so than today.
One last thought. If there was any doubt, any non-believer, any supposed Bronco fan beating the Jake Plummer drum, proclaiming Mike Shanahan 'gave up on the season' today should be the day it stops for once and for all. Even if the Broncos fall flat next week, and miss the playoffs Jay Cutler became the unchallenged alpha-dog of the Denver Offense. Very much like another QB we all might know, Cutler used a field length drive, while behind in the game and it's outcome in doubt, to write himself into Broncos lore forever. That 99 yard drive will go down as one of the greatest in team history, given what was on the line and the elements provided by Mother Nature. Jay Cutler emerged today, and if he has the type of career that most expect him to have people will look back on that drive asa the launch point, similar to the way we look back to 'The Drive' for John Elway. I just feel fortunate to have watched it.
That's it, that's all I can think of. What a game, what a win, what a future for the Denver Broncos.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you out there. Enjoy your holiday, I know I will thanks to a guy from Santa Claus!