A Test of Wills

A very, very peculiar game between Denver and Cincinnati this week. For the Bengals, they need to win out and they need other teams to lose, namely the Broncos, Colts, and Dolphins. Similarly, the Broncos need to win and they’re basically in. But if they lose, they open that already slightly ajar door, just a little bit more. They sit just inside the bubble, but like I said, teetering on the edge of must win. The Broncos just came off a tough loss to the Chargers, and they really didn’t play a bad game, just more plays going to the other guys. Bo Nix continued his impressive streak throwing for 263 yards, going 29/40 and cashing in 2 TDs. Nix hit 10 different receivers last game, he’s clearly comfortable working the ball around without turning it over. There are still kinks to be worked out, but you can’t ask for more than what the rookie is giving this team. The Broncos defense, which is a top 10 defense in the league statistically, has given up over 26 points a game over the last three games. On average, they’ve only given up 18.7 points a game, which is 4th best in the league. That’s 8 extra points for all you non-mathers out there, (like me.) They’re going to need to strap it down this week, the Bengals haven’t scored under 24 points in their last seven games.

The Bengals, come in on a three-game winning streak, with the pressure mounting each week. They sit at 7-8, on the edge of the playoff bubble behind those three aforementioned teams. So, we know they need to win. And doing that against a team who you need to lose, it’s almost poetic. Two birds to the stone type of deal. Your offense needs no tweaking, I’m not even going to talk about it out of fear of possibly jinxing it. I’ll only mention that Joe Burrow has thrown for almost 2,000 yards at home this year, for 20 TDs. The task for Cincy will be on their defense, which has been more of their Achilles heel all year and ranks 28th in the league. And the Broncos, like the Bengals, have been torching teams offensively. They only average 33.2 points a game in their last five games, and in those last five games, they haven’t scored under 27 points. That doesn’t seem real. I think I believe in this Bengals team at home, despite their 2-5 record at home, their momentum is going to carry them over a Denver team that has struggled more as of late.

POSTGAME:

What an unbelievable game. A back-and-forth shootout that was not decided until the final seconds of OT. The Bengals had the lead most of the time, but let the Broncos creep back and tie it up on their last drive with time expiring. This would take us to OT, where Joe Burrow, like he had been all game and all season, went to a different place. He would lead his team down for a game winning field goal, only for that field goal to be doinked off the post, keeping the game level. The Broncos would be unable to convert on 3rd down, and Burrow once again took over. He led a 5 play, 63-yard drive that used almost the rest of the time in OT to throw his third TD to Tee Higgins, and the Bengals would keep their hopes alive heading into the final week. This team is dangerous. Burrow would finish the game going 39/49 for 412 yards and 3 TDs. Tee Higgins had 131 yards receiving and all three TDs. Chase had 102 and their running back committee, which included Burrow this game, had 115 and a TD. I say again, this team is dangerous.