Cutler revives playoff hopes
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
December 19, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - The last voice Jay Cutler hears before he steps into the huddle is Mike Shanahan's.
That voice sends the next play to be run through the earpiece in Cutler's helmet.
"And I like the way he looks at you," Shanahan said. "It's like I've already shared with people: I like when he looks like, 'Hey, let me throw the ball. Give me a chance to decide the game.'
"That's what you like back there."
With two games to play in the regular season and the Broncos likely needing two wins to get into the AFC's playoff field, it's what they hope they continue to get from their rookie quarterback.
While Cutler took another small step in his development in Sunday's 37-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Broncos took a big step toward regaining the kind of balance they haven't had since October.
At 8-6, they are still in a crowd of wild-card hopefuls. But with the potential tiebreakers that would come with an AFC win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (2:15 p.m., CBS 4), the Broncos' postseason hopes are far more alive than they were a week ago.
"We know we did this ourselves but that we can still get ourselves out of it," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "We lost four games in a row before (Sunday's win over Arizona). But we just have to keep our focus."
The Broncos are tied with Jacksonville and the New York Jets at 8-6, but Denver has a 1 1/2-game lead (7-4 compared to 5-5) over both in AFC games, giving the Broncos the tiebreaker at the moment.The Bengals, after Monday night's 34-16 loss against the Colts, are at 8-6 overall and 6-4 in AFC games.
With the Chargers (12-2) having already clinched the AFC West title, the best the Broncos can do in the postseason seedings is the No. 5 spot because the four division winners take the top four no matter their records.
So, should the Broncos make the playoffs, they would go on the road against a division champ in the first week of the postseason. Still, Shanahan said he isn't ready to start outlining scenarios to the team.
"The only time you go through the process of exactly where you're at is the last game," Shanahan said. "We went into this game (Sunday) knowing we had to win. We've got to win the next game and obviously the game after that."
However, while some had questioned Shanahan for inserting a rookie quarterback into the playoff chase, especially after the Broncos lost in his first two starts, Cutler's 21-for-31 passing for 261 yards to go with two touchdowns had Shanahan ready with the compliments.
"He's going to grow and learn," Shanahan said after Sunday's win. "I think you can see it, just like I can. He showed a lot of poise, with a couple big-time throws. You saw what he could do. It doesn't take a genius out there to figure out this guy is very composed, can make all the throws and plays with a lot of confidence."
Monday, Shanahan added: "You want that mind-set where a guy always believes he can make a play. That's what you're looking for."
And while the Cardinals are ranked among the league's top third in passing - they are No. 10 - the Bengals offer even a little more pop, sitting at fifth (242 yards per game), to go with a 1,000-yard rusher, running back Rudi Johnson.
So the Broncos offense holding up its end of the bargain again will be important.
Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer has thrown 24 touchdown passes in the team's first 14 games and is second in the AFC in that category behind the Colts' Peyton Manning, who has 26 after throwing four Monday.
"Carson Palmer, that's a whole different animal than what we just faced in (Matt Leinart, a rookie)," Broncos defensive end Kenard Lang said. "We're going to have to do what we did one more time and then a lot more to have the same result against Palmer."
Sunday, the Broncos failed to score touchdowns on all three first-half trips inside the Cardinals' 15-yard line. Jason Elam finished all of those drives with field goals, but the Bengals offense might not make that an acceptable offensive output by the Broncos this week. Denver running back Tatum Bell also fumbled at the Cardinals' 10 in the first half, a turnover that Arizona returned for a touchdown.
"We had a chance to blow them out early," Shanahan said. " . . . Those are opportunities we have to take advantage of, because that's what good offenses do and that's the kind of football you have to play to get into the (playoff) mix."
