Cincinnati won in spite of a number of significant errors.
The AFC playoff chase is still open for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals defeated the Denver Broncos 30-24 in overtime, led by Joe Burrow’s four touchdowns (one rushing), but the Broncos lost a great chance to secure their first postseason berth since 2015.
In the last seconds of regulation, Marvin Mims Jr. scored a spectacular touchdown catch on fourth down, forcing overtime for Denver. But with 1:07 remaining in overtime, Burrow connected Tee Higgins for the game-winning goal, and the Bengals won.
Burrow was outstanding, completing 39 of 49 passes for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Late in regulation, he also scored a run to give Cincinnati a 24–17 advantage. Higgins, who played through many injuries and caught 11 passes for 131 yards, received all three of his touchdown passes.
Even though the game began with consecutive drives that ended in failed fourth-down conversion tries, Cincinnati prevailed. On their second possession of overtime, Cade York attempted a 33-yard field goal, but it struck the left upright, and the Bengals survived. Despite Nix’s strong performance and a pass rush that sacked Burrow seven times, the Broncos lost.
This is a detailed account of how the Bengals managed to salvage their season.
Why the Bengals prevailed
On Saturday, the Bengals were undoubtedly resilient even though they weren’t flawless. The Bengals overcome their blunders by making game-changing plays when it counted most, in a season that had previously been characterized by near misses.
Burrow once again delivered an MVP-caliber effort for the Bengals. Burrow stayed tall in the face of Denver’s renowned pass rush and made a string of critical completions, none greater than his overtime completion to Higgins, which set up their game-winning touchdown hookup.
Burrow’s brilliant 50-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas was ruined by a penalty late in the third quarter, setting up one of his best plays. A similar punishment before this season would have foreshadowed the Bengals’ decline, as they began the season with a 4-8 record. One play later, Burrow kept the drive going with a 19-yard run on third-and-13, but he wouldn’t allow that to happen. Burrow’s second touchdown pass of the game to Higgins ended the drive.
Higgins and Burrow were excellent, but they had a lot of assistance. Running back Chase Brown gained 91 all-purpose yards before departing the game due to an ankle injury late in regulation, tight end Mike Gesicki snagged 10 of 12 targets for 82 yards, and Ja’Marr Chase caught nine catches for 102 yards.
When the offense’s early fourth-down tries failed, the Bengals stepped up defensively. Cincinnati forced two important punts in OT and gave up just three points in the opening half. Burrow’s game-winning touchdown run was made possible by linebacker Germaine Pratt’s interception of Nix late in the fourth quarter.
Why the Broncos were defeated
With a league-high 51 sacks going into the game, Denver’s defense increased that total on Saturday night. With 3.5 sacks, including 1.5 sacks on consecutive plays during the first drive of OT that resulted in a Bengals punt, Zach Allen was essentially unblockable.
Burrow, however, usually forced the Broncos defense to play when the pass rush failed to reach home. Denver allowed Cincinnati to convert seven of their thirteen third-down attempts after stopping the Bengals twice on fourth down early in the game. Additionally, when Denver tied the score early in the fourth quarter, they let the Bengals convert on a crucial fourth down (an 11-yard pass from Burrow to Brown), which resulted in Cincinnati’s game-winning touchdown.
With a flawlessly thrown touchdown ball to Courtland Sutton, a 51-yard bomb to Mims, and his game-winning touchdown pass to Mims that forced overtime, Nix gave the Broncos a tough offensive game.
However, in overtime, Nix and the Broncos offense failed to rekindle that magic. Given that Denver could have guaranteed a postseason berth with a tie, it’s reasonable to ask if Broncos coach Sean Payton decided to play it safe offensively in overtime.
The pivotal moment
The Broncos offense had an opportunity to make a game-changing play after their defense forced a punt to begin overtime. Nix dropped back and threw a deep throw to Troy Franklin, who was wide open about 30 yards downfield, as the team faced a third-and-six from its own 14-yard line. Franklin, however, lunged for the ball but failed to make the catch as Nix threw him over. Rather than driving for the game-winning score, the Broncos punted.
