Broncos vs. Bengals: Playing for Playoff Position

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DENVER- After a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals travel to the Mile High City Denver, Colorado for an epic showdown against the Denver Broncos. These two teams are playing for playoff positions so there’s something on the line besides just another win. The team that wins will gain a huge and much-needed momentum swing in their favor. This is a must-win for both Cincinnati and Denver.

The Bengals currently trail the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North standings in what is a very close race. If the Bengals can win this game and improve to 8-6, possibilities will open up. This is a true road test and an indicator of whether Cincinnati is good enough to make the wild card round. A loss here would possibly indicate this team has work to do before being considered a playoff contender. The Bengals are also 3-1 in the AFC North. Will the combined efforts of Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and running back Joe Mixon be enough to lead the Bengals to a much-needed road win? They face the seventh-best defense in the NFL statistically. It’ll be an interesting “chess match” for sure.

The Broncos are half a game behind the Los Angeles Chargers so a win here could affect the AFC West standings. The Broncos won against Los Angeles in their first meeting but have a 1-2 division record. As it stands, if Denver wins, the head-to-head tiebreaker would be applied and Denver would be second in the AFC West standings. This can also help Denver move up to #7 if teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills lose.
This is the point of the season where the constant positioning of teams competing for playoff seed starts to get really interesting. Denver needs to establish more consistency on offense as they are the 19th best offense in the NFL, while the Bengals have the 15th best offense in the NFL.

Prediction:

Cincinnati’s offense steals the thunder right away and doesn’t showdown. Expect the Bengals to take control early and finish with the win.

Bengals 35 Broncos 21.