As he caught the how-did-he-catch-that catch, the receiver’s left arm was as extraneous as that cornerback.
Do you remember Emmanuel Sanders’ catch? It was the offensive play of the game until, you know, they blew the game. But on Monday night at Cincinnati, the Broncos receiver hauled in a ball with just his right arm, while the cornerback committed pass interference. It was stupendous. Stupid, even.
Down 27-14 in the third quarter, Denver needed to score on this drive, and it was stuck on third-and-3 from the Bengals’ 48-yard line. The short passes, as we know, were somewhat of an issue on Monday night, so Peyton Manning lofted a beautiful ball down the right sideline, and Sanders, man, caught the thing for a 33-yard gain. Three plays later, Sanders caught a touchdown.
Pound-for-pound — and the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Sanders doesn’t have a lot of them, comparatively — Sanders might be the toughest dude on Denver’s roster. Twice this season, play has stopped when Sanders was viciously hit by a defensive back. He takes Wes Welker ’13 hits. But if he’s not concussed, Sanders isn’t bowing out; instead, yep, he’s bowing to the crowd like a conductor and lining up at the line of scrimmage.
After that catch, former NFL star Chad Brown tweeted, “E Sanders may be the best front office move other than Peyton by John Elway. Great one hand grab, better free agent pick up.”
Entering Sunday’s final regular-season game, Sanders has 95 catches for 1,331 yards and nine touchdowns. He was the only Bronco receiver to receive a positive grade Monday from Pro Football Focus. He’s fifth in the NFL in receptions and sixth in yards, not bad for a No. 2.
More Sanders fun: He’s on pace to finish the year in the top five in NFL history for catches and yards for a player in his first year with a team. And only Julio Jones of Atlanta has more 20-plus-yard catches this season than Denver’s Sanders.
Chew on this
• With Dec. 25 looming, resident Denver Post Christmas song expert Benjamin Hochman has ranked the 25-awesomest Christmas songs ever:
25. Burl Ives – Holly Jolly Christmas
24. Bing Crosby – Mele Kalikimaka
23. Jose Feliciano – Feliz Navidad
22. Clyde and The Drifters – White Christmas
21. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Christmas All Over
20. Kelly Clarkson – Underneath The Tree
19. Perry Como – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
18. Elton John – Step Into Christmas
17. Michael Buble – Let It Snow
16. John Williams (from Home Alone) – Somewhere In My Memory
15. Bing Crosby – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
14. Dean Martin – Baby It’s Cold Outside
13. The Moonglows – Hey Santa Claus
12. Chuck Berry – Run Run Rudolph
11. Glee Cast – We Need A Little Christmas
10. Mariah Carey – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
9. Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
8. Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
7. Wham! – Last Christmas
6. Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
5. Gene Autry – Here Comes Santa Claus
4. Stevie Wonder – What Christmas Means To Me
3. Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
1. Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
• And finally, Wednesday’s celebrity birthday — 1970s pitcher John D’Acquisto!
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/hochman
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