The Bengals could end Sunday in first place in the AFC North.
They did their part by beating the Broncos 15-10 in Denver on Sunday afternoon to move to 8-6 on the year. A loss by the Ravens against the Packers would move them up to first place by virtue of their head-to-head win against Baltimore.
The Browns can get to 8-6 on Monday and the Steelers are 7-6-1, so things are very tight in the division as we head toward the end of the regular season.
It was a quiet day offensively for the Bengals as they got three field goals from Evan McPherson before Joe Burrow and Tyler Boyd hooked up for a big play. Two plays after the Broncos took a 10-9 lead, Burrow hit Boyd for a 56-yard score that provided the final margin of victory.
Denver would get a chance with the ball in the final minute, but a sack by Larry Ogunjobi helped seal the win. Ogunjobi had 1.5 sacks and Trey Hendrickson was credited with a half-sack to boost his streak to 10 games being credited with at least a piece of a sack.
Burrow was 15-of-22 for 157 yards and Joe Mixon ran 17 times for 58 yards. Mixon left late in the game to get his left ankle checked out by trainers and was called questionable to return, although the team only ran two plays after he left. His status will be something to watch as they prepare for their rematch with the Ravens next Sunday.
The Broncos’ playoff hopes took a hit in the loss and they’ll be waiting to see if quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be available in Las Vegas next weekend. Bridgewater left the game with a head injury in the third quarter and was taken to a hospital as a precautionary move. The team announced that he has movement in his extremities.
Drew Lock threw a touchdown to Tim Patrick on the drive when Bridgewater departed and drove the Broncos back into the red zone in the fourth quarter, but the game’s only turnover and wildest play cost them a chance at points. Bengals defensive lineman Khalid Kareem knocked the ball out of Lock’s hands and returned the ball near midfield only to have Lock and others knock the ball out of his grasp.
The Broncos recovered, but replays showed that Kareem was down by contact because Lock touched him as he stumbled to the turf after snatching the ball away. They wouldn’t come close to scoring again and the Bengals will head back to Cincinnati with a big win in their pocket.
