Brock Osweiler leads Broncos to huge overtime win over Bengals

DENVER — Brock Osweiler was so clutch after halftime on Monday night, he came up with two game-winning drives.

The first one, in the final two minutes of regulation, didn’t end as planned. Brandon McManus shanked a 45-yard field goal. No matter. Osweiler just did it again in overtime and led the Broncos to a 20-17 win, clinching a playoff spot for Denver.

The Broncos got the ball first in overtime, and Osweiler hit a huge third-and-10 throw to Owen Daniels to get the drive started. The much-maligned Demaryius Thomas made a one-handed catch on third-and-3, then got another first down on a receiver screen. The Broncos couldn’t get a touchdown on the opening drive of overtime, but McManus hit a 37-yard try to give them the lead. Brock Osweiler (AP)

The defense got a gift of a turnover to start overtime. Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron mishandled a shotgun snap and DeMarcus Ware beat him to the ball and recovered it to end the game.

The game had huge playoff implications. The Bengals would clinch a first-round bye with a win or the Broncos would have the inside track at a bye by winning. The Broncos would have lost control of the AFC West with a loss, and wouldn’t even have been assured a playoff spot going into Week 17. The game had a playoff feel at 16 degrees, tied for the third coldest home game in Broncos history.

And Osweiler was a the coolest guy in the place in the second half. Osweiler has had a bad habit of playing one good half and one bad one since he took over the starting job, and the Broncos are happy he was good in the second half and beyond on Monday night.

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy: $10 could win you $20K in our $200K contest for Week 17]

McCarron started hot, hitting a number of huge throws in the first half. The Bengals had touchdown drives of 80 and 90 yards in the first half. McCarron was 12-of-17 for 119 yards in the first half. When the Bengals took a 14-0 lead, it seemed like Cincinnati might roll.

The Broncos battled back. Denver has been good in first halves and bad in second halves with Osweiler at quarterback, but flipped that around on Monday night. Osweiler hit Emmanuel Sanders for an 8-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 14-10. C.J. Anderson had a nice 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Denver a 17-14 lead.

The Bengals tied it back up with a 52-yard field goal from Mike Nugent.

Denver still looked in control, driving deep into Bengals territory in the final five minutes. But Anderson fumbled and the Bengals recovered at their 26-yard line with 4:05 left.

The Broncos defense got a stop, part of its great play the entire second half.

Denver got the ball back with 1:40 left in regulation at its own 20 and Osweiler led a great drive. He hit three huge passes, to Owen Daniels for 16 and then 26 yards, and then a laser to Bennie Fowler for 16. That set up McManus for a game-winning field goal and he missed badly, well to the left.

Osweiler gave McManus another shot in overtime. The kicker came through. Then the defense sealed the win. And the Broncos can feel a lot better about their positioning in the playoffs going into the season’s final week. They’re still in the running for not just the AFC West crown, but the No. 1 seed in the conference.

PODCAST: Peyton Manning’s terrible 2015: