Bengals botch PAT as Broncos slip away victorious

Football Betting Lines

12/25/2006 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Broncos improved their playoff chances with a lot of luck Sunday, as the Bengals botched an extra point attempt with 41 seconds remaining, giving Denver a 24-23 win at a snowy Invesco Field.

Carson Palmer hit T.J. Houshmandzadeh with a 10-yard touchdown pass over the middle to get the Bengals within a point, but the snap on the extra point from Brad St. Louis was wide of holder Kyle Larson and the ball was recovered under a pile of players well behind the line of scrimmage.

The Bengals recovered the ensuing kickoff, but Ahmad Brooks was offside, and Quincy Morgan pounced on the second opportunity for Denver, and the Broncos ran out the clock.

Jay Cutler connected on 12-of-23 passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and was picked off once for the Broncos (9-6), who can secure a playoff berth with a win next Sunday at home against San Francisco.

Meanwhile, the Bengals (8-7) could have clinched a wild card berth with a victory since Buffalo and Jacksonville lost earlier in the day, However, now they not only need a win next Sunday at home against Pittsburgh, but help elsewhere.

Palmer hit on 21-of-40 passes for 209 yards with two TDs and a pair of interceptions. Rudi Johnson carried the ball 30 times for 129 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals, losers of back-to-back contests. Houshmandzadeh ended with nine receptions for 94 yards.

Sporsillustrated Football Betting News

<< Leinart sprains shoulder
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart sprained his left shoulder in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Leinart got sacked by Roderick Green just under the two-minute mark of th

<< Vikings to cut Marcus Robinson
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings informed veteran wide receiver Marcus Robinson that he will be released. According to a report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Robinson received a call from Vikings VP of p

<< Action Jackson: Rams top Redskins in OT
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Jackson ran 21 yards to the end zone with 8:27 left in overtime, as the St. Louis Rams kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 37-31 victory over the Washington Redskins. After both teams h

<< Gould, Bears rally past Lions
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Gould kicked four field goals, including three in the final quarter, as the Chicago Bears rallied for a 26-21 win over the Detroit Lions. Rex Grossman completed 20-of-36 passes for 197 yards and was in

<< Saints move closer to bye with win over Giants
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 126 yards with a score, as New Orleans moved one step closer to a first-round bye after a 30-7 win over the fading New York Giants. Bush recorded the first 100-y

Cards KO 49ers; Leinart injures shoulder >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Leinart completed 9-of-13 passes for 162 yards and a score before spraining his left shoulder just before halftime, as the Arizona Cardinals went on to top San Francisco, 26-20, and knock the 49ers o

Chargers rally for win, but Seahawks clinch division >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philip Rivers did it again, rebounding from a horrid start to lead the Chargers to a comeback victory, 20-17, over Seattle. Despite the defeat, the Seahawks clinched their third straight NFC West title by vi

Hawaii's Brennan breaks NCAA single-season TD passing record >>
Honolulu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hawaii junior quarterback Colt Brennan broke the NCAA single-season touchdown passing record, throwing his 55th in the Hawaii Bowl Sunday against Arizona State Brennan has three touchdown passes in the game, b

Brennan breaks TD passing record as Warriors win Hawaii Bowl >>
Honolulu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan broke the NCAA single-season touchdown passing record, throwing for five scores, all in the second half, and a school-record 559 yards, as the Warriors beat Arizona State,

NCAA Division I-A Touchdown Passes, Season >>
57 - Colt Brennan, Hawaii, 200654 - David Klingler, Houston, 199052 - B.J. Symons, Texas Tech, 200347 - Jim McMahon, Brigham Young, 198046 - Andre Ware, Houston, 198946 - Tim Rattay, Louisiana Tech, 199845 - Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech, 2002Copyrigh

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.