Bengals’ big bungle

DENVER – The playoffs are slipping right through the Cincinnati Bengals’ fingers.

The Bengals lost to Denver 24-23 on a snowy Sunday when Brad St. Louis’ long snap on an extra point in the final minute sailed wide of holder Kyle Larson, preventing Shayne Graham from even attempting his 159th straight conversion.

“That only happens on PlayStation games,” Broncos lineman Kenard Lang said. “I’m sitting there amazed.”

The Bengals were offside on the ensuing onside kick, and then Quincy Morgan fielded the short second kickoff, sealing the win for Denver, which can clinch a playoff spot with a win next week against San Francisco.

Needing only to beat the Broncos to get into the postseason party themselves, the Bengals, who were in control of the wild-card race before losing at Indy last week, drove 90 yards in 12 plays, with Carson Palmer tossing a 10-yard touchdown strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 46 seconds left.

Then came the wide and wobbly snap that doomed the Bengals, who now must beat Pittsburgh at home next week and get some help to get into the playoffs.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was kicking himself afterward.

“I thought about going for two,” he said. “But that doesn’t matter now, does it?”

The Broncos, some of whom were snowed in at their practice facility during the week when a blizzard dumped three feet of snow on the city, felt like the weather did them a favor for a change.

“The snow came along at the right time, I guess,” Broncos receiver Rod Smith said.

“When the ball is a little slick like that, there is always an opportunity for that to happen, especially when the pressure is on,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.

The Bengals didn’t blame rattled nerves or bad weather.

“I didn’t put the ball in Kyle’s hands,” St. Louis said.

“We’ve done it a thousand times,” said Larson. “We didn’t execute. It had nothing to do with a wet ball or conditions. We work on this every day in practice. I reached for it. The bottom line is we need to work together as a unit.”

The Broncos got four takeaways, two from Champ Bailey, who recorded his NFL-high ninth interception and also recovered Chad Johnson’s first career fumble in an especially hard-hitting game between two wild-card wannabes.

The Bengals lost for the eighth straight time in Denver despite big games from Houshmandzadeh and Rudi Johnson.