Broncos (9-6) at Bengals (7-8) Saturday, Dec. 28 at Paycor Stadium (Field Turf), 4:30 p.m. ET, TV: WXIX-TV Ch. 19 (Cincinnati), NFL Network (National) Kevin Harlan (PBP), Trent Green (Analyst), Melanic Collins (sideline). Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), 700-WLW, ESPN1530. National: Westwood One John Sadak, Derek Rackley.
CINCINNATI — Week 4 of the Bengals’ “Do-or-Die” tour continues Saturday before a national audience.
One team looking to clinch their place in the AFC playoffs and another looking simply to stay alive meet Saturday afternoon when the Denver Broncos visit the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Cincinnati has won its last three games to improve to 7-8 on the season, and looks to get to .500 going into its Week 18 finale at Pittsburgh. Saturday marks the Bengals’ final home contest of the 2024 campaign, which head coach Zac Taylor hopes will provide his team with an advantage in a must-win situation.
Cincinnati must win its final two games and hope Miami and Indianapolis lose once more and Denver loses its finale against Kansas City.
“We’ve got ourselves to a point where these games really matter,” Taylor said. “We’re counting on our crowd. I know what our home record is this year, but they show up, they support, they’re loud. They give us that extra boost. We know this is our last (home) game, so we’re counting on that crowd to show up Saturday, and be as loud as ever and make this a tough environment.”
Joe Burrow enters this week leading the NFL in completions (387), passing yards (4229) and passing touchdowns (39). Last Sunday, Burrow passed Tom Brady, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history with seven straight games of at least three touchdown passes and at least 250 yards passing.
“I work really hard for this,” Burrow said. “I put a lot into going out and playing well on Sundays. When you get records and when you make big-time plays, I’m trying to get better at appreciating those and being excited about that. That hasn’t really been who I am, but I think if I want to have the longevity that I want to, I need to appreciate and be excited about things like that, so that’s exciting for me.”
Burrow directs a versatile Bengals offense which ranks in the top 10 league-wide in passing (first, 267.3 yards per game), total yards (10th, 360.1) and scoring (sixth, 28.2 points per game). Cincinnati has put up at least 24 points in each of its last seven games, the longest streak in team history.
The offense this season has featured several playmakers alongside Burrow, with the most notable being receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase heads into the final two weeks on pace for the receiving “Triple Crown,” as he leads all players in receptions (108), receiving yards (1,510) and receiving TDs (16). In the backfield, HB Chase Brown has 1259 yards from scrimmage this season, including at least 100 in each of the last five games.
Ja’Marr Chase heads into the final two weeks on pace for the receiving “Triple Crown,” as he leads in receptions (108), receiving yards (1,510) and receiving touchdowns (16). In the backfield, running back Chase Brown has 1259 yards from scrimmage this season, including at least 100 in each of the last five games.
Defensively, the Bengals have totaled nine takeaways over the past two games, their most in a two-game span since 2006. Seven different players have contributed to that tally with either an INT or a fumble recovery.
With a win, the Broncos (9-6) will clinch a berth in the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season.
Denver was on the verge of clinching last week but blew a 21-10 lead after giving up a free-kick field goal at the of the first half. The Los Angeles Chargers rallied for a 34-27 win on Dec. 19 in Los Angeles, snapping Denver’s four-game win streak.
“We’ve got to correct it and move on,” Surtain said of the second-half collapse against Justin Herbert and the Chargers. “We’ve got to finish the season the right way to get toward our destiny.”
The Broncos are hopeful for the return of cornerback Riley Moss, who has missed the last three games with an MCL injury. Moss was listed as a limited participant for two straight practices last week. Denver head coach Sean Payton said Sunday could be available against Cincinnati.
The return of Moss would give Denver a valuable boost in the secondary alongside All-Pro Patrick Surtain, against Joe Burrow. The Cincinnati quarterback has throw at least three touchdown passes in seven straight games.
“The guy that plays opposite of (Surtain) is going to get a lot of business. Throughout training camp, (Moss) rose to the occasion, battled, competed, and throughout a good portion of the season,” Payton said.
Denver leads the all-time series 22-11. Cincinnati won the last meeting at Denver, a 15-10 victory at Empower Field at Mile High in 2021. The Bengals now have won two of the past three, with both victories coming at Denver in 2017 and ’21. The Broncos, on the other hand, have won the past two meetings played in Cincinnati, in 2016 and ’18. The two have never met in the postseason.
Here’s what to look for:
- When the Bengals have the ball:
The key here is pretty straight-forward. Don’t let Denver’s five-man fronts destroy the offensive tempo and rhythm the Bengals have enjoyed over their last seven games. Easier said than done. Nik Bonitto is right on the heels of Trey Hendrickson with 11.5 sacks. The difference is the Broncos have four others with at least five sacks, including Jonathon Cooper with eight, John Franklin-Myers with 5.5, Zack Allen and Jonah Elliss with five each. Denver’s 51 sacks is just one behind Baltimore for the NFL lead. Then there’s Pat Surtain II. Arguably the best corner in the game will likely be matched up against Ja’Marr Chase. Joe Burrow must account for him at all times. The return of Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle and Cody Ford moving to left guard in place of Cordell Volson should help. But again, Burrow will need to be on point and be able to climb up in the pocket and hit his targets consistently. Justin Herbert had a huge second half against Denver last week in LA. Can Burrow repeat the feat for an entire game? Lots of talk this week about the “ultimate weapon” that is Joe Burrow’s cadence. It worked in a couple of key moments last week against Cleveland, drawing Myles Garrett offsides on the Chase TD late in the fourth quarter. It’s very likely Burrow will attempt to use often Saturday to keep the fierce rush of the Broncos in check.
- When the Broncos have the ball:
Rookie quarterbacks have had their moments this year against the Bengals, namely Jayden Daniels in Washington’s 38-33 win over the Bengals. But the Bengals defense is playing with a much higher level of confidence since defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo simplified some of the calls, not allowing for multiple options off a single defensive call. There seems to be less confusion in the communication and more read-and-react. It’s resulted in nine turnovers created in the past two games, albeit against quarterbacks Will Levis and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Bo Nix is tied for the most games (6) by a rookie in NFL history with at least 200 yards passing, at least two TD passes and no interceptions. He’s not making the big mistake often. The Bengals need Joseph Ossai and Geno Stone back from illness after missing practice this week. Stone has been clutch in the last three weeks on the zero blitz, getting in the faces of Levis, DTR and Cooper Rush. Expect to see more of that Saturday from Anarumo.
- Bottom Line:
Bengals have answered the call ever since Maema Njongmeta recovered that muffed blocked punt touch by Dallas on Dec. 9. The Bengals are riding a season-best three-game win streak, doing a lot of good things in the process. But another theme this week has been their 0-7 mark against teams with a winning record this season. They finally get one Saturday and extend their relevance in the AFC playoff picture into Week 18 in Pittsburgh. Geno Stone makes it four straight games with a pick and Cade York – who’s been a clutch pickup with the injury to Evan McPherson – hits three field goals to help bring the Bengals to .500 for the first time this season.
Bengals 23, Broncos 16
