The Bengals entered week 15 on their second two game losing streak of the season. Their matchup against the Broncos was an important one. A win would potentially have them in 1st place in the division, while a loss would have them on the outside looking in.
The two teams traded punts to begin the game, before the Bengals eventually opened the scoring. The ran a couple of short plays before Burrow was able to complete a 17 yard pass to Higgins. The drive stalled at Dencer’s 35 and McPherson kicked a 53 yard field goal.
The Bengals defence continued to step up afterwards. Markus Bailey and Germaine Pratt blitzed Bridgewater on 3rd down and ended up splitting a sack. On the next drive, they forced a three and out.
Denver eventually tied the game. It was only a short drive, but a 28 yard pass from Bridgewater to Noah Fant helped get them into field goal range. Brandon McManus was able to drill a 54 yarder. 3-3.
The tight defence continued for the next few drives, with each offence barely able to pick up even a 1st down. Before the half, the Broncos started driving, looking to take the lead. Although it was late in the half, Denver didn’t seem like they were in a huge hurry. But they, little by little, were making the Bengals defence bend. They finally forced a stop, as Bridgewater’s pass on 3rd & 1 fell incomplete. They brought on McManus to attempt a 51 yard field goal, but he hooked it wide.
The miss left the Bengals with the football on their own 41. They had a timeout left in their pocket, but only 9 seconds to work with. The Cincy offence ran one play, which ended up being a 19 yard completion to Mr. Reliable, Tyler Boyd, over the middle. That set them up for a long field goal attempt. It was from 58 yards out. McPherson stepped up and confidently drilled it through the uprights. That field goal gave Cincinnati a 6-3 lead at the half, and also became the longest field goal in franchise history.
Denver got the ball to start the half. A split sack by Hendrickson and Ogunjobi forced them back to 2nd & 20, something the Denver offence could not overcome. They punted the ball back to the Bengals, who proceeded to go on their longest drive of the day to that point. Joe Burrow, scrambling for the second time of the drive, escaped pressure for a positive gain. A 15 yard facemask penalty moved the ball up another 15 yards. A 22 yard Samaje Perine run then put the Bengals inside the redzone. However, they stalled at the 8 yard line. McPherson’s third field goal of the day put them up 9-3.
On the ensuing Broncos drive, Teddy Bridgewater would go down with a head injury. Drew Lock entered the game in his place. At that point, the running game for the Broncos seemed to wake up, as both Williams and Gordon picked up some solid gains. At the Cincinnati 25, Lock threw it up for Tim Patrick. There was a split second where it looked like Trae Waynes might have a shot at an interception. However, Patrick stepped in front of him and elevated up, snatching the ball for a touchdown. That gave Denver a 10-9 lead.
The Bengals were quick to respond. In fact, they only needed two plays. After a 12 yard run by Joe Mixon, Burrow found a bust in the Denver secondary. He lofted it up for a wide open Tyler Boyd, who only needed to make one man miss in order to get to the end zone. The 56 yard score made it 15-10 for the Bengals. They attempted the 2 point conversion, but Boyd was unable to haul in that one.
With the ball back, the Broncos were able to go on a long drive of their own. A big play by TE Albert Okwuegbunam put the Broncos in Cincinnati territory. Later, a pass interference call on Eli Apple moved the chains for Denver on 3rd down. They continued to move the ball, eventually getting to the Cincy 9. On 2nd down, the Broncos ran a read option, with Drew Lock electing to keep the ball. He attempted to make Khalid Kareem miss, but Kareem was able to force a turnover by taking away the ball. That was a huge turning point for the Bengals, as they were able to keep it a 5 point game.
The Broncos would get one last chance with about a minute left in the game. They, however, would turn it over on downs, sealing the win for the Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals improve to 8-6. With the Ravens losing to the Packers, and the Browns losing to the Raiders, Cincinnati currently sits in 1st place in the AFC North. They will head home to host the Baltimore Ravens next week in a game that may end up deciding the division.
