Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos: Full Denver Game Preview
The Denver Broncos (10-4) are reeling. After losing two games in a row, the team is treading in the wrong direction at the worst possible time. With just two games left in the 2015-16 NFL regular season, the Cincinnati Bengals (11-3) come to town for a game on Monday Night Football.
These two teams also played in Week 16 last season. That game was also on a Monday night. The Broncos will be hoping for a different result this year, losing that game 37-28.
There is a lot riding on this game. A win over the Bengals would put the Broncos right back in the conversation for a first-round bye in the playoffs. However, a loss, combined with a win by the Kansas City Chiefs over the Cleveland Browns, would put the Broncos in peril of not winning the division. In fact, there's a small chance the Broncos could miss the playoffs altogether.
That makes this an important game as there is little room for error. The Broncos must right the ship before it's too late, and that starts with taking care of the Bengals at home.
The Broncos lead the all-time series 19-9 and have won four of the last five meetings between the teams.
Here, we will get you ready for this game with a full preview. Read on for the key matchups to look for as well as the latest news surrounding the Broncos.
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Week 15 Recap
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In a game between AFC contenders this past Sunday, the Broncos jumped out to a 27-10 halftime lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Denver was unable to sustain that momentum and looked like an entirely different team in the second half.
Pittsburgh scored 24 unanswered points to win the game 34-27. Brock Osweiler and his offense were not able to move the ball at the same rate that they did in the first half, and the defense could not stop the passing attack of the Steelers.
Ben Roethlisberger put the ball in the air 55 times and threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Antonio Brown just torched the Denver defense, catching 16 passes for 189 yards and two scores.
The Broncos looked far from the No. 1 defense in this game, and the coaching staff was just never able to make the proper adjustments to regain control of the game.
Osweiler also threw a costly interception that helped set up the game-winning score from Roethlisberger to Brown.
The Broncos wasted a solid effort by Emmanuel Sanders, who caught 10 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown against his former team. But offensively, it was more of the same for Denver. The team couldn't rack up enough yardage on the ground, and they didn't get much from the tight end position in the passing game. Those two elements have been missing in nearly every game this season.
News and Notes
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David Bruton Placed on Injured Reserve
The Broncos' issues at the safety position continue to mount, as David Bruton has been placed on injured reserve, according to Andrew Mason of the team's official website.
This comes after the revelation that Bruton suffered a broken fibula in the first quarter of Denver's game against the Steelers. It's troubling, considering that Bruton was already playing in place of injured safety T.J. Ward.
Bruton's season ends with 48 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. All of those numbers are career highs for a single season.
To replace Bruton, the Broncos signed Shaun Prater to shore up the safety position. Prater was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has 11 career tackles and one interception.
Brock Osweiler to Start Against Cincinnati
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but for those clamoring for the return of Peyton Manning, it's not going to happen—at least not yet.
Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports that Osweiler will start against the Bengals, and Manning will not be active.
It's beginning to seem more and more likely that Manning will never take another snap for the Broncos. Unless Osweiler has a catastrophic collapse against the Bengals, there's really no reason to even entertain the idea at this point.
Denver Defenders Selected to Pro Bowl
The NFL released its 2016 Pro Bowl rosters on Tuesday night, and as Allie Raymond of the team's official website notes, four members of the Broncos defense were recognized with trips to Hawaii for the all-star game.
Chris Harris, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Von Miller were all named to the Pro Bowl. In addition, Demaryius Thomas, Louis Vasquez, T.J. Ward and Brandon Marshall were all chosen as alternates for the game.
Latest Injury News
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T.J. Ward
The Broncos got a bit of good news on Wednesday as Ward returned to practice. Ward has missed the last three games, and the Broncos could gain a big boost from his return to the field, particularly considering the other injured safeties, such as David Bruton.
Darian Stewart
Darian Stewart's absence was felt against the Steelers as the team had to turn to Josh Bush and Shiloh Keo. Whether or not Stewart could have helped slow down the Pittsburgh passing attack is debatable, but he couldn't have done any worse.
Stewart did not practice on Wednesday as he continues to nurse a sore hamstring. It seems that even if the Broncos get Ward back for the game against the Bengals, they'll still be far from full strength at the safety spot.
Todd Davis
Inside linebacker Todd Davis also missed practice on Wednesday. He played through a shoulder injury against the Steelers, posting one tackle.
Davis may have been sitting out to get some extra rest, or it could be an indicator that he further aggravated the injury by playing in Week 15.
All injury news courtesy of Andrew Mason of the team's official website.
Key Matchups
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Denver Interior Offensive Line vs. Geno Atkins
Geno Atkins has the ability to take over games at the defensive tackle position. Against a mediocre offensive line, he could wreak havoc.
Atkins already has 10 sacks on the season. He is also one of the best defensive tackles against the run in the NFL. As a result, the Broncos will have their hands full with him.
Matt Paradis will need to do a solid job against him, but he'll also need help from one of the guards. Either Louis Vasquez or whoever is playing on the other side, between Max Garcia and Evan Mathis, will need to be ready to slow Atkins down.
Denver will need to double-team him often in this game as the team must get something going on the ground. Denver can't expect Osweiler to win games with his arm at this point, so it will need a team effort to keep Atkins quiet.
Denver Tight Ends vs. A.J. Hawk
Though the Bengals are ranked No. 18 in the league against the pass, they do have a good secondary with Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick and Reggie Nelson, who leads the NFL with eight interceptions.
This seems like a good game for the Broncos to throw the ball underneath and take advantage of some of the matchups they could create across the middle of the field. In other words, it's time to throw the ball to the tight ends more.
Vernon Davis and Owen Daniels could both give A.J. Hawk a tough time and gain small chunks of yardage to help move the chains.
Denver Defensive Line vs. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard
In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, the Bengals ran the ball 36 times as opposed to just 21 pass plays. They only gained 68 yards on the ground, but that wasn't the point. They clearly didn't want to put quarterback AJ McCarron in difficult situations.
Against Denver, the game plan for Cincinnati will likely be similar. They'll want to keep McCarron in 3rd-and-short situations, generating yardage with running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard through the running game and short screen plays.
The two running backs will need to be the top priorities for the Denver defense to slow down. The Bengals aren't going to try to win a shootout against the Broncos. Instead, they'll be happy to win a 13-10 slugfest.
Denver needs to stop Hill and Bernard at the point of attack and force McCarron to put the ball into the air on 3rd-and-long situations. If the Broncos can create some turnovers and jump out to a two- or three-score lead, it could be too much for this Bengals team to come back from.
X-Factor Player
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Broncos X-Factor Player of the Week: Brandon McManus
Brandon McManus is Denver's X-Factor player this week, primarily because the offense has had its struggles. Against the Steelers, the team posted 27 points in the first half, then never scored again.
But a kicker with a strong leg is a serious weapon in the thin air of Denver, so if the Broncos can get as far as the 40-yard line of Cincinnati, the team could end up with points. Also, this is the type of game in which you could win by kicking four or five field goals.
McManus' ability to kick the ball out of the end zone and force touchbacks should not be overlooked either. The Bengals have a good return man in Brandon Tate, so the Broncos will want to negate his ability to make a game-changing play.
Plus, McManus needs to bounce back after missing an extra point against the Steelers last week.
Look for McManus to kick multiple field goals, which will ultimately prove to be the difference in a low-scoring affair.
Prediction
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Both teams really need this game. The result of which will go a long way in determining the final AFC playoff picture.
The Broncos have the game at home and haven't forgotten the loss to the Bengals last season. But instead of Manning versus Andy Dalton, it's Osweiler versus McCarron.
That's where Denver has the advantage.
McCarron has only started one game in his career, and that was last week. The Bengals probably won't open up the entire playbook and will just be hoping McCarron doesn't make a mistake that costs the them the game.
But that's what the Broncos must force him to do.
If Denver can create some turnovers by either forcing a strip-sack or baiting McCarron into bad throws, the Broncos will win this game. Of course, they'll have to put some points on the board too, and Cincinnati is no slouch on defense.
With Kansas City hot on their heels, the Broncos must realize this is a must-win. They must play with urgency. They'll score just enough points to win.
Final Prediction: Broncos 19, Bengals 13
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