Monday Night Football Week 16: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Broncos vs. Bengals

For NFL playoff hopefuls, Week 16 brings a unique sense of urgency, and it will be on display when the Denver Broncos visit the Cincinnati Bengals for Monday Night Football.

Undoubtedly, the biggest stakes in this one fall on the home team. The Bengals can no longer clinch the AFC North with a win thanks to Pittsburgh's victory, but the Ravens' defeat to Houston means that a tie or win Monday night would secure Cincinnati's fourth straight playoff berth.

As for the Broncos, they already wrapped up a first-round bye in the AFC thanks to Indianapolis' Week 16 loss. They still need a Patriots loss—along with winning out themselves—to get the top seed, but they should like their chances after seeing New England struggle Sunday afternoon with the Jets.

But despite other results around the league looming large for these teams, they can take matters into their own hands Monday night. Let's take a look at everything you need to know for Monday Night Football.

Week 16 Monday Night Football

When: Monday, December 22

Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Time (ET): 8:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Info (via Odds Shark): Broncos -3.5, O/U 47.5

Top Storylines to Watch

Pressuring Peyton

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

If you ignore the obvious neck problems that have plagued Peyton Manning's last few years, he's stayed off the injury report as well as anyone throughout his career. That makes his "questionable" status entering Monday's game all the more intriguing.

Manning's health has been far from peak condition over recent weeks. He overcame flu-like symptoms that saw him miss some of the Broncos' win over San Diego, and a thigh injury stemming from that game has him as questionable on the injury report.

After Manning was nearly a full-go in practice Friday, The Denver Post's Mike Klis said there's "little question about it"—Manning is playing. Klis also had some eyes and ears on practice, and he added his own 2 cents:

"

Peyton Manning showing no problems- moving well, relatively speaking

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) December 19, 2014"

You'd expect the Broncos—and Manning—to do everything they can to get him up to play. Now, the Bengals must figure out a way to stymie his impact.

Instead of sending the house and leaving mismatches for Manning to exploit, though, Cincinnati would be best served to help nullify the run game and force Manning to make tight throws. ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold explained the blueprint to diminishing the Broncos offense:

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Defenses who succeed against him generally create some kind of consistent pressure in the middle of the field -- they win the A gaps -- keeping him from setting his feet, and they don't give him room to climb the pocket to step into his throws. Those defenses also limit the Broncos' ability to use their variety of crossing routes. They play physically against the Broncos' receivers and limit yards after the catch because they tackle well. Not rocket science, but difficult to do because the Broncos are creative in play design.

"

Of course, keeping pressure inside the A-gap is often reliant upon having an edge at the line of scrimmage, which the Bengals may not have. After early-season woes, Denver's offensive line has turned things around magnificently.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

No better stat shows that than this: Manning only has one touchdown pass in his last two games, but both were relatively easy wins. That's because the Broncos surpassed the 100-yard plateau in rushing each game.

Denver has made no secret of its desire to run the ball in recent weeks, and it won't want to change the formula much Monday—not with Manning banged up and going up against a 23rd-ranked Bengals run defense. It'll be up to Cincy to show the poise necessary to negate it.

Prime-Time Underperformers

David Richard/Associated Press

Even if the Bengals defense shows up for a second straight week and makes life difficult for Manning, Cincy's offense won't have history on its side when it takes the field Monday night.

The Bengals have become synonymous with prime-time meltdowns on nationally televised games—at least ever since quarterback Andy Dalton came to town. They're 2-9 in such games with Dalton at quarterback, and even dating back to Marvin Lewis' takeover in 2003, the results are ugly.

ESPN.com's Cole Harvey brought up some painful numbers after the Bengals were trounced on a Thursday night by Cleveland back in November.

"

Again on the big, prime-time, nationally televised stage, Dalton wilted. The confounding Mr. Hyde version of the young quarterback came back right when it seemed he had finally been tucked away. Dalton wasn't alone. The rest of the Bengals, who have a 6-14 record on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights since Lewis became head coach in 2003, felt it, too. 

"

It's nothing short of a surprising trend for all of the success Cincinnati has enjoyed over the last few seasons—three straight playoff appearances and counting. It also could help to explain why the Bengals have looked so lifeless in each of those early playoff exits.

They couldn't be going up against a team any more accustomed to the lights. This is the fifth time the Broncos have played in prime time this year, and a handful of others have been must-watch affairs as well.

This trend only adds to the disparity the Bengals already face in the statistics department, as Denver outranks them in almost every category.

What really makes it scary for Bengals fans buying into the prime-time meltdowns is that they're likely far from over. 

Whether the Bengals win or lose Monday, their matchup against the Steelers next weekend figures to be on prime time. After that, the playoffs could loom, per CincyJungle.com's Josh Kirkendall:

These sorts of streaks are often dissected a little too much or given too much consideration. But when the Bengals have come out flat in the playoffs three straight years and constantly do the same in prime-time games, it can no longer be ignored.

There is one way, though, the Bengals could turn down all of that talk considerably entering the end of 2014, and beating the defending AFC champions on Monday Night Football to clinch a playoff spot would be a heck of a start.