The season finale of Monday Night Football will feature the best of the best. The Cincinnati Bengals have clinched the AFC North crown and are playing for the No.2 seed. The Denver Broncos are in danger of slipping out of the playoffs altogether. The winner is a tossup at this point; but, the team with the better backup quarterback will definitely have an edge.
The Bengals didn’t have to do a thing on Sunday and won the AFC North. As the league games played out, their playoff destiny was partially secured by the parity of the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 20-17, resulting in a series sweep by the Baltimore Ravens. That loss gave the Bengals the division championship. New England lost in overtime to the Jets, rejuvenating Cincinnati’s chance for the top seed in the AFC.
With all those things working in the Bengals’ favor, they’re going to be loose for the Monday night game. On the other hand, the Broncos will literally be fighting for their playoff lives. The Kansas City Chiefs will be in first place if they fail to beat the Bengals. No one expects the Bengals to waltz onto Sports Authority Field and dominate the Broncos. According to Pro Football Reference , the Bengals and Broncos are ranked No.1 and No.2 , respectively, as far as scoring defense.
Denver is on a tear, as a defensive unit. Against the runand passthey are ranked as the best in the NFL. No other team has been able to achieve that dominance since the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles. The Broncos are basically standing on their heads.
The talk of the week has been about the defenses of both teams being able to win the game. But, the intangible is at the quarterback position. Both teams will be going into battle with signal callers in their first year of action. Though Brock Osweiler has five starts to his credit, he’s also been able to rely on that stout Broncos defense to pull him out of a few jams.
In his five starts, Osweiler is 3-2. In the last two games, the young signal-caller has had trouble in the second half. Overall, Osweiler has a passer rating of 86.5 with a completion ratio of 60.5. In the two losses, his completion percentage plummets to 58.9 and his rating does the same. It falls off to 83.8
The Bengals’ D-coordinator, Paul Guenther, may take advantage of the situation and dial-up a few exotic blitz schemes. The added pressure may cause Osweiler to revert to the bad habits he’s acquired. Part of the mechanics problems may be due to a Grade 2 separation of his non-throwing shoulder.
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports also revealed that there are complications surrounding Osweiler. Peyton Manning has been on the mend and the Broncos may have to make a decision. According to Glazer, Osweiler is playing through an injury.
“This is now Brock Osweiler’s team,” Glazer explained. “Brock Osweiler has a grade-two separated shoulder, yet he is the guy. I think John Elway is helping make that decision. So much so that when Peyton Manning is practicing, he’s not even with the rest of the team, so as not to be a distraction. This is Brock Osweiler’s team the rest of the way, barring some sort of collapse.”
The Bengals have had better success with AJ McCarron under center. Since coming in for Andy Dalton against the Steelers, McCarron has been doing a decent job. He’s 1-0 as a starter and seems to be comfortable running the offense. His numbers are jaw dropping when compared to his completion for Monday. McCarron has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for a rating of 100.5. There are a few regulars who would love to have those stats.
No matter what happens between the Broncos and the Bengals, the playoff landscape will be turned upside down. It all comes down to who has the better backup.
[Photos by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images, Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]
