DENVER — One errant shotgun snap sent the fortunes of the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals in different directions.
AJ McCarron took his eyes off his center for a split-second to look at the coverage and both the snap and Cincinnati's surest path to a first-round bye slipped away — along with a chance to earn the AFC's top seed next week.
DeMarcus Ware secured both the fumble and Denver's ticket to the playoffs, clamping down on the loose football 6 minutes into overtime and sealing Denver's 20-17 win Monday night.
"It was my fault. I told the team that," McCarron said.