Shanahan's gamble pays off

Belief in offense results in win

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 14, 2008 at 7:46 p.m.

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Photo by Chris Schneider © The Rocky

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for 350 yards and led the winning drive, tries to break away from Ryon Bingham.

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Brandon Stokley broke into a wide grin as he walked off the field with his young son in tow.

"Going for two, down by one?" the Broncos receiver asked incredulously Sunday. "What are we doing?"

Winning a classic ballgame, shaking off a rival that has owned his team and adding fuel to the talk that quarterback Jay Cutler now has moved into the NFL's elite at his position, that's what.

"That boy's special," Patrick Ramsey said of the man he backs up as he walked down the tunnel to the Broncos locker room.

Everything had to go the Broncos' way in the end to pull off their stunning 39-38 victory that left the San Diego Chargers shaking their heads and cursing a controversial late call.

At the center of it all was Mike Shanahan's and Jeremy Bates' bold decision with 24 seconds left to go for the two-point conversion instead of the safe play of an extra point and a resulting overtime period.

As running back Selvin Young entered the locker room, surrounded by teammates, he summed up the moment by shaking his fist with faux dice while his fellow Broncos cackled in laughter.

"Shake it!" Young bellowed while mimicking his game of air craps. "Come on, 7-11!"

Yet there was more than luck involved.

The Broncos had run out of a similar formation earlier in the game before using it on their final two offensive plays. The first time, Cutler looked off Eddie Royal and instead went in Stokley's direction. The Broncos got the same coverage on fourth- and-4 at the end, and Royal was matched on a linebacker.

Touchdown.

The Broncos then ran the same play on the two-point try but motioned Royal into the formation with similar, middle-of- the- field results. Royal had to split two defenders this time, but his catch sent the Invesco Field crowd into a frenzy. Two points, one heck of a game.

"We hadn't really been stopped," said Cutler, who completed 36-of-50 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns. "We stopped ourselves with the pick."

It was Cutler's interception on third- and-3 at the San Diego 4-yard line inside of five minutes, up by one point, that made the finish all the more remarkable.

Instead of the Broncos at least holding a four-point lead if they had to kick a chip- shot field goal, Cutler looked for Royal on a crossing route and didn't see Chargers rookie cornerback Antoine Cason standing at the goal line.

Darren Sproles' 66-yard catch-and-run three plays after that interception helped stake San Diego to a 38-31 lead, setting up the miracle finish.

"It was a key interception. It made me sick. It really did," said Cutler, who orchestrated a 31-point first half that included 22 first downs and 364 yards before 21 consecutive San Diego points gave the Chargers the lead.

"It never should have happened like that - just throw it away, get the three and get out," Cutler added about his critical interception. "But I knew if we got the ball back, we'd go down and score again. It wasn't

really a problem."

It isn't, if you're willing to discount a Cutler scramble that resulted in the ball popping free on a second-and-goal pass from the 1. San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins recovered for an apparent clinching recovery.

"Fumble," Cutler admitted afterward, which didn't provide salve for the livid Chargers as the Broncos were awarded the ball at the 10 because the play was whistled dead.

A draw play to Young netted 6 yards. And during an ensuing timeout with 29 seconds left, Cutler could be seen smiling. It was like there was no pressure on him at all.

There wasn't, actually, from a pass-rush standpoint, as he fired to Royal to pull the Broncos to one down, then again for only the third winning two-point conversion inside the final minute since 1994.

"It's fun. That's what football's about. If you're a quarterback, that's kind of what you live for," Cutler said, calling to mind John Elway's fourth-quarter mojo.

"That's Jay," said tight end Tony Scheff- ler, who had touchdown catches of 3 and 14 yards to complement Brandon Marshall's 18-catch season debut. "You know what kind of nerves he's got and what kind of player he is. He wipes (trouble) out of his mind."

The Broncos finished with 486 yards with 34 first downs and scored five times in six trips inside the 20. Cason's interception was the lone red-zone exception and set up the drama.

Cutler and Co. finished it.

"I love the play-calling. We're moving the ball. The offensive line is doing a great job of giving Jay time," Royal said. "I can't wait until next week."

Two good

Teams that went for a two-point conversion when down by one point with two minutes or less remaining in the fourth quarter since the two-point conversion rule began in 1994:

Date Team, opponent Time left Result

Sept. 14, 2008 Broncos vs. San Diego 0:24 Scored, won 39-38

Dec. 24, 2006 Cincinnati at Denver 0:41 Failed, lost 24-23

Nov. 13, 2005 Tampa Bay vs. Washington 0:58 Scored, won 36-35

Dec. 19, 2004 Detroit vs. Minnesota 0:08 Failed, lost 28-27

Dec. 15, 2002 Minnesota at New Orleans 0:05 Scored, won 32-31

Oct. 12, 1997 Chicago vs. Green Bay 1:54 Failed, lost 24-23

Nov. 19, 1995 Jacksonville at Tampa Bay 0:37 Failed, lost 17-16

• September 14, 2008

  8:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  xxx writes:

  50/50 If they kick the extra point...who ever calls it in OT scores...cause neither defense could stop the offense...go for 2?...ABSOLUTELY

• September 14, 2008

  11:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NJBroncosFan writes:

  Great win... a couple shady calls but none the less it happens to everyone .. GO BRONCOS!!!!!!

  <NJ'S BIGGEST BRONCO FAN>

• September 14, 2008

  11:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denmex writes:

  greate game, the mile high magic is back it was awsom, we heve to admit that we have one of the best 2 couches in the nfl,greate call shany, greta call. jc is going to be a huge star in this league, b marsh is going to be a huge star in this league, the o line is making a grate job, the kiker is doing a greate job, we are 4 real, and we are very young so we have greate yrs to come.
  just 1 question, did any one saw rivers trashing any one???? i dont know what i love the most the 2 point try or to know that the child that plays qb for sd have eat his words an 0 and 2.
  thanks broncos 4 the efort thats why we love football

• September 15, 2008

  5:57 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sll writes:

  Frankly, it almost seemed like a classy move by Shanahan. He knew we got away with one (the "incomplete pass fumble") and he was going to give SD a chance to stop us in regulation KNOWING that luck was on our side and things were leaning our way... Gutsy classy gambling call!

• September 15, 2008

  7:24 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Champion writes:

  I agree with sll 100%. My buddy said it was highway robbery the Broncos won. I said if they stopped em going for 2 then they win. What a call, what a gamble.

• September 15, 2008

  10:59 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  NorCalGuy writes:

  You just don't do what Shanahan did at game's end. You play for overtime at home. To think that your personnel is so much better than theirs at the professional level is foolish. He must have seen something that made him supremely confident at games end. If they lose that game at home on that play, he gets crucified. Let's face it the officials (Hochuli) cost the Chargers the game. Reminded me of some of the victories the Raiders used to get at home from time to time in another era.

• September 15, 2008

  11:21 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  DocBronco98 writes:

  Ciao San Diego, no more crying, no whining about unacceptable, bottom line San Diego StupidChargers Coach Shanahan gave you all the chance to man up and stop us when he went for two. Too bad your best defender is out for the season, waah waah, never seen that in the NFL. You had the opportunity to get the win given to you three times, once on the Cutler INT., twice on the fourth and goal TD to our Rookie of the Year Eddie Royal, and a third and but not final time on the 2 point try, I was wrong you also had a fourth and final chance to get into field goal range in Denver's rarefied air to (nut it up and) win on a last second field goal drive with 24 seconds left quit the crying their is no crying in Football. Peace to the world!
  Broncos Rock!!

• September 15, 2008

  1:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TONE writes:

  OMG!!! Didn't anyone call 911 for the deadbolt? HAHAHAAAAA
  OPS!!! Chager don't have an ER(Eddie Royal)...
  Just love how the river flow, right out of town...LOL!!!

  OK, enough bashing. I just need to get that out for the smack he lay on us last year.

  It was a great game. I was dissapointed that we let them back into the game in the 3rd quarter. We kind of relax and they got right back.

  I'm sure Shanny is upset at himself for doing that too. I guessing that the games in the future there is no holding back and score until the final second...

  GREAT GAME!!!

• September 15, 2008

  1:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Woody writes:

  NorCalGuy, who are you to say what Shanahan could, or could not, do?

  Let's face it ,,,,, what? You aren't one of us. & officials did not cost SD the game. The Chargers had 2 chances outright, to win the game. They choked. Not the officials. btw, what are you doin over here? Got 'nothin over on the silver & black blogs? Can't blame you for goin' where the action is.

• September 15, 2008

  2:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  roger44 writes:

  The broncos had the game, but fell back and grinned. Both sides had chances, deciding factor was the 2 calls, won the game for denver. You can say the chargers are crybabies, but let's see what happens if the broncos got those same calls against them in another game, and see who crys.They lost the game, don't care how you explain it. if that had been rightfully called a fumble, you would be the crybabies.

• September 15, 2008

  3:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bleedsorangenblue writes:

  not sure what the Broncs were doing on that 66 yard go-ahead TD that Sproles ran. ALL 3 backers were bunched in the middle of the field?? The D-coord needs to get a grip on schemes or a lot more big plays will hurt Denver's chances. PUT PLAYERS IN POSITION TO MAKE PLAYS, NOT MISS THEM!! Offensively we are set, defensively we gots a looong way to go.

• September 15, 2008

  10:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  roger44, why do morons insist the Chargers won the game? I don't see a W in the Chargers collume? What a whiner.
  NorCalGuy, huh?

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