Bengals-Broncos’ OT conclusion caps MNF campaign of close climaxes

MNF Fantastic Finishes, Dec. 7, 2015: Jason Witten (82) and Dan Bailey (5) of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate Bailey’s field goal against the Washington Redskins. (Scott Clarke/ESPN Images)

MNF Fantastic Finishes, Dec. 28, 2015: The host Denver Broncos rallied to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime, capping a season filled with last-second finishes.

MNF Fantastic Finishes, Nov. 30, 2015: Defensive back Will Hill (33) of the Baltimore Ravens returns a blocked field goal for a game-winning touchdown as various Cleveland Browns pursue him. (Allen Kee/ESPN Images)

Not only did last night’s game record ESPN Monday Night Football’s highest overnight rating of the 2015 season (10.5 according to Nielsen, based on the metered markets), it was the 10th straight MNF game that was decided by eight points or fewer. That’s the longest such streak in MNF history.

Denver’s 20-17 overtime victory over Cincinnati marked the final exciting finish in a season full of close encounters:

• There were 13 MNF games decided by single digits in 2015 — the most ever in a MNF season (Elias Sports Bureau)
• Monday’s was the second overtime MNF game of the season — the last time MNF had two OT games in a season was 2008
• Monday’s was the third time in the last five weeks that the game-winning score came in the last 10 seconds of regulation or OT. The others:

– Week 12: Baltimore Ravens defensive back Will Hill’s return of a blocked field goal at the buzzer to beat the Cleveland Browns (see photo above)
– Week 13: Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey’s 54-yard FG beat the Washington Redskins (see photo above)

Vincent J. Masi and Allison Stoneberg contributed to this post.
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