The Denver Broncos scored four unanswered touchdowns after giving up an early field goal to demolish the Cincinnati Bengals, 28-3. There was a massive offensive discrepancy in this game as the Broncos outgained the Bengals by 353 yards.
Cincy also had no answer for Denver quarterback Bo Nix. He completed 29 of 42 passes for 326 passing yards, two passing TDs, an interception, seven rushing yards, and a touchdown on the ground.
The Bengals were able to put together a really good opening drive against one of the better defensive teams in the NFL. They picked up 62 yards in 12 plays before their drive stalled at Denver’s eight yard line, so they kicked a field goal for a 3-0 advantage. After that, it was all downhill for Cincy.
The Broncos didn’t have the same level of success on their first possession as the Bengals did after recording a quick three-and-out. This was the first game of the season in which Cincinnati didn’t allow its opponent to score an opening-drive touchdown.
Denver finally got things going on their second series. Following a 12-yard pass on a 3rd and 7, Bo Nix hit tight end Adam Trautman for a 26-yard gain. A few plays later, Nix scrambled into the end zone for a six-yard TD run to give the Broncos a 7-3 lead.
There was no shortage of flags in this one. These squads combined for 18 penalties for 137 yards. An illegal formation penalty by Cincy wiped out a 36-yard catch by wide receiver Tee Higgins, which forced the Bengals to eventually punt the ball away.
On Denver’s next series, Bo Nix threw passes of 19 and 22 yards on back-to-back third-downs. On the very next play, wide receiver Marvin Mims took a jet sweep 16 yards into the end zone for a 14-3 advantage.
Denver had the chance to put this one out of reach after once again getting into Cincinnati’s red zone. But, with a 4th and goal at the two yard line, the Bengals intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Troy Franklin for a touchback, killing a drive that would’ve put the Broncos ahead by three scores.
After a Cincy punt, the Broncos had a chance to score one more time before the break. Facing a third down, Bo Nix completed a 28-yard pass to Marvin Mims to get into field goal range with 26 seconds left in the quarter. With just eight seconds remaining before halftime, Bo Nix connected with wide receiver Courtland Sutton on a 20-yard TD strike for a 21-3 lead at the half.
The third and beginning of the fourth quarter of this game was uneventful. These two teams combined for six straight punts to start the second half.
With an 18-point lead in the final frame, Denver began to lean on the rushing attack. They orchestrated a 76-yard touchdown drive to go ahead 28-3. During that series, running back J.K. Dobbins went over the 100-yard rushing mark, making him the first Denver player to eclipse the century mark since January 8th, 2023.
Nothing went right for the Bengals after that field goal in the first quarter. They didn’t run a single play on Denver’s side of the field after the opening possession. They also didn’t have any third-down conversions after their first drive.
With the victory, the Broncos move into a tie for second place in the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Bengals are winless in their last two games with Jake Browning as their starting quarterback.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
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