Pass to Graham almost good move for Broncos

DENVER - When tight end Daniel Graham signed with the Denver Broncos, he hoped to get the ball more than he did in his five seasons with New England. Graham’s number was called in a big spot Sunday, and he had a crucial drop.

On fourth and 5 from Denver’s 9-yard line in the fourth quarter, Graham was open for a gain of more than 20 yards. He seemed to catch the ball, but dropped it when he hit the ground.

That effectively ended Denver’s chances for a win against Jacksonville.

“I didn’t make the catch when I needed to,” said Graham, who never had more than 38 catches with the Patriots. “I need to make that to keep the drive going.

“I just dropped it. It hit the ground and I dropped the ball. It’s on me.”

Graham was one of Denver’s biggest free-agent signings in the offseason, getting a five-year deal worth $30 million.

Coach Mike Shanahan’s decision to go on fourth down was risky, but just more than four minutes remained and the Broncos had no timeouts and had shown little success stopping Jacksonville’s rushing offense. He said Graham was open on similar plays earlier in the game so he called the post route for the tight end.

“I just had a gut feeling with the way they were controlling the tempo of the game that that would give us the best chance to win,” Shanahan said. “It almost turned out good.”