There are wins and then there are signature wins.
Last night Brock Osweiler achieved the latter, leading the Denver Broncos to a 20-17 comeback victory in overtime over the Cincinnati Bengals that sealed a berth in the playoffs and arguably saved the season.
Losers of two straight and on the brink of an epic collapse, Denver turned it around in the second-to-last regular season game.
Monday’s pivotal game featured a standout performance by all accounts by the Kalispell quarterback. Making his sixth consecutive start, Osweiler displayed the poise and prowess of an experienced NFL leader.
Playing in the spotlight of Monday Night Football and trailing by 14 points, the 25-year-old former Brave led the exciting rally and finished 27 of 39 for 299 yards and one touchdown and no turnovers. He completed 69 percent of his passes and led three drives that should have been game winners. (Blame a missed field goal by Brandon McManus and fumble by CJ Anderson for two of those drives falling short.)
Yes, Brock still held the ball too long on occasion, and he still has trouble finding the end zone during all four quarters. But last night was a signature performance by a budding QB.
Brock and the Broncos have usually looked stellar in the first half and completely flat in the second; the Broncos had sizable leads against both Oakland and Pittsburgh at halftime before losing in recent weeks.
But the script flipped last night.
Cincinnati led 14-0 before Denver even started its third offensive drive and 14-3 at halftime. But the Broncos turned a shoddy first half into a thrilling comeback in chilly 19-degree conditions.
The Broncos improved to 4-2 with Osweiler as the starter. Now he has a guaranteed shot at winning a playoff game. Crazy trajectory for a kid who was playing football at Legends Stadium only seven years ago.
Denver finishes the regular season against San Diego on Sunday and Brock will be the starter once again, head coach Gary Kubiak confirmed with media. With a win, Denver would clinch a fifth straight AFC West title and have a chance at a first-round playoff bye. Denver needs New England to lose to Miami for that to happen.
Via Broncos Communications Director Patrick Smyth: With Monday’s win, the Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have three comeback wins of 14-plus points against playoff teams (Cincinnati, New England and Kansas City).
Two of those wins are credited to Brock’s guidance.
Also via Smyth: the Broncos have won an NFL-high eight games by seven points or less this year. Only six teams in NFL history have won more such games in a season.
Again, some but not all of those clutch victories are under Brock’s leadership — 17-15 over Chicago; 30-24 over New England and last night’s 20-17 win over Cincinnati.
For the season, Brock has completed 62 percent of his passes this season for 1,735 yards and nine touchdowns while throwing four interceptions. He’s also rushed for 61 yards and one TD.