tands, manager Bryan Price said.HONORING ROSSThe Reds showed a video from David Ross days in Cincinnati on the videoboard in the middle of the first inning, honoring the Cubs catch

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Long before he confronted the difficult decision of trying a 62-yard field goal in overtime, Gary Kubiak made another call that would come back to haunt him.The Broncos coach didnt go for two after Bennie Fowlers 76-yard touchdown gave Denver a seven-point lead over Kansas City late in the fourth quarter Sunday night.A 2-point conversion would have made it a two-score game.No, were going up by eight there, said Kubiak, who sent Brandon McManus out for the extra point that made it 24-16.With this defense, an eight-point lead late in the game seems downright insurmountable.In last years AFC championship, the Broncos surrendered a touchdown throw from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski with 12 seconds left but Bradley Roby intercepted Bradys 2-point conversion attempt, sealing the Broncos 20-18 win that propelled them to the Super Bowl.This is largely that same defense that brought home the Lombardi Trophy two weeks later, save for the departures of Malik Jackson (whom the Broncos will face in Jacksonville on Sunday) and Danny Trevathan.If you give us an eight-point lead, I would bet my game check that no one would score on us, said cornerback Aqib Talib, who pulls in $500,000 a game, before taxes. So, I would have been in debt right now.Heres what made that seem like such a safe bet:-After the touchback, the Chiefs had 75 yards to go. They had averaged a mere 12 yards per drive on their first dozen possessions to that point.-They had three minutes and no timeouts remaining.-The Broncos were the fresher team, coming off a bye.Yet, after Derek Wolfe sacked Alex Smith for a 7-yard loss on first down, the strength of Denvers team suddenly couldnt find the game-saving plays that have defined them as one of the best clutch defenses ever.Kayvon Webster was whistled for holding, Von Miller jumped offside, T.J. Ward was flagged for illegal contact.Even after forcing three incompletions from their 14, the Broncos couldnt stop the Chiefs on fourth-and-10 with 15 seconds remaining. Tyreek Hill caught an 11-yard pass on Roby, who had inexplicably lined up behind the first-down marker.Hill hauled in the touchdown pass on the next play, the ball rattling off his shoulder pads before he secured it while sitting on the goal line when a clean catch probably comes up short and time runs out.Instead, its 24-22 and 6-foot-7 tight end Demetrius Harris lined up across 5-10 cornerback Chris Harris Jr.I had never even heard of him, the Broncos Harris said of the Chiefs Harris, who played basketball at UW-Milwaukee but had to play club football because the Panthers dont field a football team.Smith hit Harris for the tying 2-pointer that sent the game into overtime, which Kansas City won 30-27 on Cairo Santos banked field goal as time expired .The debate ever since has centered on Kubiaks decision to try a 62-yard field goal knowing it was a low-percentage shot in the cold November night and that a miss would likely mean a loss because the Chiefs would take over at the Denver 48 needing just one first down against a gassed defense.A punt essentially concedes the tie -- and maybe loses the locker room.How do you tell a team thats fought hard for 74 minutes that youre not going to send out a kicker whos made 70-yarders in camp and had hit from 62 yards in pregame?A tie would be better for them in the standings -- now the Broncos are scrambling for a wild card at 7-4 -- but going for the win was worth it, Kubiak figured. If McManus makes it, the Broncos are breathing down the Raiders backs with a sixth straight AFC West crown in sight.Theres a lot of football left to play. It was a divisional football game and we need to win our divisional football games and we had a chance to do it with something that our kicker has done before. He did it before the game, Kubiak said. Its me showing confidence in him and confidence in our defense if it doesnt happen.I believe in our football team.And his players trust their coach.I like the fact that we went for the win, said Fowler, suggesting theres a stronger resolve than ever to reward Kubiaks faith in them now.Yeah, definitely, weve got Kubes back and hes got our back. So, were in this together.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapletonCheap Adidas Shoes UK . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Cheap Stan Smith UK For Sale . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. http://www.clearancestansmithuk.com/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Stan Smith UK Sale . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Stan Smith UK Outlet . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66.CINCINNATI -- Down to their final strike, the Cubs pulled off one more improbable comeback followed by one more wall-shaking party in the clubhouse. Victory No. 103 had such a familiar feel to it.Matt Szczur doubled home two runs with two outs in the ninth inning, and Miguel Montero followed with a homer as Chicago finished one of its most successful seasons with a flourish, beating the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Sunday.Its a perfect example of why weve won so many games this year, Montero said.With victory No. 103 in the books, the Cubs headed back to Wrigley Field for their first playoff game on Friday against the winner of the NL wild-card game. Theyve been using the last week to basically stay sharp and get ready for bigger games.Ending the season with their 14th win in their last at-bat was fitting. So was the music-driven party in the clubhouse that ended with players raiding the cooler for bottles of water and then spraying manager Joe Maddon in celebration.Ending up with a win on the last day of the season, I think that speaks about our whole group, said Maddon, sitting in the managers office with water dripping down the walls and the desk. 103 is a nice, round number. Ill take it.The Cubs led the majors with their most victories since 1910. Thats no longer the reference point, however. The postseason focus is 1908, the last time they won a World Series.The final series at Great American Ball Park was more about personal milestones. Jon Lester failed to get his 20th win on Saturday, and Kyle Hendricks finished as the ERA leader at 2.13 on Sunday despite a ragged performance. He gave up four runs and six hits in five innings, forcing in one run with a bases-loaded walk.Hendricks hadnt allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last 22 starts. He came into the game with a 1.99 ERA, hoping to become the third Cubs pitcher in the last 96 years to finish below 2.00.The meaningful statistic now: Hendricks 1.32 ERA at Wrigley Field this season, the best home ERA in the majors.At this point in my career, I never thought Id be in this situation, said Hendricks, 26, who is in only his second full season in the majors.The Cubs have pulled off improbable comebacks all season, and had one more left. After Raisel Iglesias (3-2) retired the first twwo batters in the ninth, Chicago pulled ahead with a walk, a single and Szczurs double.ddddddddddddMonteros homer was a major league record 103rd allowed by Reds relievers.Justin Grimm (2-1) retired the one batter he faced for the win. Carl Edwards Jr. got his second save.Cincinnatis Joey Votto singled in four at-bats, giving him a .408 average since the All-Star break. Hes the first player in the majors to bat .400 after the break since Ichiro Suzuki hit .429 in 2004.The Reds finished 68-94. Combined with last years 98 losses, its the first time theyve had back-to-back 90-loss seasons since 1933-34. Attendance at Great American Ball Park was 1,894,085, a significant drop from the 2.4 million they drew last season while hosting the All-Star Game.What matters is how we utilize 2016 to be better in 2017 and 2018 and 2019 and get more fans in the stands, manager Bryan Price said.HONORING ROSSThe Reds showed a video from David Ross days in Cincinnati on the videoboard in the middle of the first inning, honoring the Cubs catcher who will retire after the season. Fans gave him a standing ovation, and he waved his cap from the dugout railing.STATSThe last two Cubs pitchers with ERAs below 2.00 were Grover Cleveland Alexander (1.91) in 1920 and Jake Arrieta (1.77) last year. ... The Cubs hit 42 homers against the Reds this season, the most by any team against Cincinnati. ... Reds pitchers allowed 258 homers overall, shattering the previous mark. The previous NL record was 239 by the 2001 Rockies.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: Jorge Soler was in left field after missing a week with a sore right side. He went 0 for 2 with a walk.Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips missed the last five games with a bruised left hand.UP NEXTCubs: Await the winner of Wednesdays NL wild-card playoff game hosted by the Mets against San Francisco. Manager Joe Maddon hasnt announced his pitching rotation for the playoffs, although its likely to start with Lester. Chicago will work out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.Reds: Price got a one-year contract extension on Friday, answering the biggest offseason question.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay ' ' '