The Cincinnati Bengals are still alive in the AFC playoff race. Led by Joe Burrow’s four touchdowns (one rushing), the Bengals recorded a 30-24 overtime win over the Denver Broncos, who missed a golden opportunity to clinch their first playoff berth since 2015.
Denver forced overtime after Marvin Mims Jr. made an incredible touchdown catch on fourth down in the final seconds of regulation. The Bengals prevailed, though, when Burrow hit Tee Higgins for the game-winning score with 1:07 left in overtime.
Burrow was magnificent, throwing for 412 yards and three touchdowns on 39 of 49 passing. He also ran for a score that gave Cincinnati a 24-17 lead late in regulation. All three of his touchdown passes went to Higgins, who caught 11 passes for 131 yards while playing through multiple injuries.
Cincinnati won despite starting the game with consecutive drives that ended with unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempts. The Bengals also survived Cade York’s 33-yard field goal attempt hitting the left upright on their second drive of overtime. The Broncos lost despite a solid game by Nix and a pass rush that sacked Burrow seven times.
Here’s a full breakdown of how the Bengals kept their season alive.
Why the Bengals won
The Bengals weren’t perfect by any means on Saturday, but they were certainly resilient. In a season that had previously been defined by near misses, the Bengals overcame their mistakes by coming up with game-changing plays when it mattered most.
Once again, Burrow gave the Bengals an MVP-caliber performance. Facing Denver’s vaunted pass rush, Burrow stood tall and completed a litany of clutch completions, none bigger than his 31-yard completion to Higgins in overtime that set up their game-winning touchdown connection.
One of Burrow’s biggest plays took place late in the third quarter after a penalty wiped out his nifty 50-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas. Earlier this year, a similar penalty would have signaled a downward spiral for the Bengals, who started the year with a 4-8 record. But Burrow refused to let that happen, as he kept the drive alive with a 19-yard run on third-and-13 one play later. The drive ended with Burrow’s second touchdown pass of the game to Higgins.
Burrow and Higgins were great, but they had plenty of help. Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 102 yards, tight end Mike Gesicki caught 10 of 12 targets for 82 yards, and running back Chase Brown had 91 all-purpose before leaving the game with an ankle injury late in regulation.
Defensively, the Bengals stepped up when the offense came up short on its early fourth-down attempts. Cincinnati allowed just three points in the first half and forced two crucial punts in overtime. Linebacker Germaine Pratt’s interception of Nix late in the fourth quarter set up Burrow’s go-ahead touchdown run.
Why the Broncos lost
Denver’s defense entered the night with a league-high 51 sacks, and added to its tally on Saturday night. Zach Allen was virtually unblockable with 3.5 sacks that included 1.5 sacks on consecutive plays on the first drive of overtime that forced a Bengals punt.
But when the pass rush didn’t get home, Burrow more often than not made the Broncos defense play. After stopping the Bengals twice on fourth down early in the game, Denver allowed Cincinnati to convert on 7 of its 13 third-down attempts. They also allowed the Bengals to convert on a key fourth down (an 11-yard completion from Burrow to Brown) that led to Cincinnati’s go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter after Denver had tied the score moments earlier.
Offensively, the Broncos received a gritty game from Nix, whose night included a perfectly thrown touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton, a 51-yard bomb to Mims and his game-tying touchdown pass to Mims that forced overtime.
But Nix and the rest of the Broncos offense were unable to rekindle that magic in overtime. It’s safe to wonder whether or not Broncos coach Sean Payton elected to play it safe on offense in overtime, as Denver could have clinched a playoff berth with a tie.
Turning point
After its defense forced a punt to start overtime, the Broncos offense had a chance to make a game-changing play. Facing a third-and-6 from its own 14-yard line, Nix dropped back and fired a deep pass to Troy Franklin, who was wide open roughly 30 yards downfield. But Nix overthrew Franklin, who dove for the ball but was unable to make the catch. The Broncos punted instead of possibly driving for the game-winning score.
Play of the game
While the night had more “impressive plays,” the play of the game has got to be Burrow’s game-winning touchdown pass to Higgins. The score was the Bengals’ first overtime touchdown in franchise history.
Quotable
What’s next
The Bengals will travel to Pittsburgh next week for another must-win game. Cincinnati will also need Denver to lose next week against the Chiefs, who will likely rest Patrick Mahomes and other key starters with the AFC’s No. 1 seed already secured. The Bengals also need the Colts and Dolphins to lose one of their final two games.
The Broncos simply need to defeat the Chiefs. If they do, they’ll finally snap their playoff drought, which currently stands at nine years.
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