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The Broncos and the Bengals came into this match in Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season knowing this game would define their season. Denver knew that a win on the road today would be enough to send them to the playoffs. Cincinnati knew that only a win would give them a chance in the final week. With the Chargers blowing out the Patriots earlier Saturday, there is only one spot left in the AFC playoff bracket.
The Broncos came into this game with a 9-6 record. That they have improved so significantly from last year has a lot to do with how well rookie quarterback Bo Nix has played this year. Their defense has also been phenomenal this year with their run game and pressure packages.
The same cannot be said of the Bengals defense. They have been extremely profligate, squandering the platform Joe Burrow has provided with his MVP-caliber season. The quarterback led the league in passing yards coming into this game and Ja'Marr Chase was atop the receiving yards chart with more than 1,500.
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With so much riding on this clash, this is how the teams performed.
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Broncos vs. Bengals box scores
Broncos box scores
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Bengals box scores
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Broncos vs. Bengals game summary
The first half started with the visiting team receiving the ball. The Broncos answered with a long drive that yielded a field goal. The Bengals responded with a drive of their own and chose to go for it on fourth-and-short. Knowing how critical this game was for Cincinnati, this was not a surprising decision. However, it did not pay off and they handed the ball back to Denver.
The much-maligned Bengals defense stepped up to force a punt and home fans would have thought they had a great chance to take the lead when Joe Burrow led them into the red zone. But they squandered that opportunity with Ja'Marr Chase uncharacteristically dropping a touchdown pass on third down before the Broncos defense sacked the quarterback on the fourth.
It kept the visiting team in front, but the Cincinnati defense again forced Denver to punt. This time, the Bengals' offense did its job and scored a touchdown to go 7-3 ahead within the two-minute warning. Joe Burrow threw a short pass to Tee Higgins on a second down to record his 40th touchdown pass this season.
Bo Nix tried to lead his team with an immediate response but two costly sacks on back-to-back plays hampered their progress in midfield. In the end, there was not enough time to even attempt a field goal and the home team went into the locker rooms 7-3 ahead at the break.
The second half began with the Bengals receiving the ball and going all the way into the red zone. Andrei Iosivas made a phenomenal catch to keep the drive going and then the Broncos defense imploded.
After sacking Joe Burrow on a third down, an illegal contact gave them a fresh set of downs. An offside call made it even easier for the home team. However, Denver's defensive unit made a heroic goal-line stand to limit them to a field goal that saw Cincinnati take a 10-3 lead.
It was the cue for the Broncos offense to get going. Jaleel McLaughlin, primarily, and Audric Estime started slicing through the Bengals' defense on the ground. It led to a touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton to tie the game 10-10 in the third quarter.
Cincinnati came straight back to take the lead. They overcame multiple sacks and penalties with clever quarterback runs and fourth-down conversions before Joe Burrow threw a peach of a pass and Tee Higgins made a fabulous catch for his second touchdown of the day. A successful conversion saw Denver down 17-10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
By this time, the game was opening up. With the running game now working well for the Broncos, play action did the trick for Sean Payton. Bo Nix faked, dropped back, and launched a bomb for Marvin Mims for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the scores at 17-17 with just over eight minutes remaining.
Just as the offenses looked to be establishing themselves, the defenses got involved. First, the Broncos' defense forced a fumble after a catch to get the ball back. However, a Bo Nix interception on the next drive canceled that out.
Joe Burrow then led his team on a touchdown drive, sneaking in to score with a minute-and-a-half left. It gave them a 24-17 lead. However, Bo Nix was not going down quietly. He threw his second touchdown pass to Marvin Mims in double coverage with eight seconds remaining to tie the game 24-24.
That was the final score in regulation time and the home team won the coin toss to get the ball to begin overtime. A touchdown drive would have won the game for the Bengals but consecutive sacks forced them to punt and give the ball back to the Broncos. With any score now enough to give either team a victory, Denver had the upper hand. They also had no reason to force any play knowing a tie was enough to get them into the playoffs.
Cincinnati, though, managed to force a punt and get the ball back into Joe Burrow's hands. He managed to get them close and set up a 33-yard field goal attempt with more than two-and-a-half minutes remaining. However, Cade York failed to score the game-winning three points and gave the ball back to the Broncos.
Denver would have wanted to see the game out with a tie favoring their chances but Cincinnati had their timeouts to extend the clock. The home team's defense managed to force another punt and give the Bengals' offense another chance to win in the final two minutes. Tee Higgins took over and had a huge catch to set up a first-and-goal before catching the walk-off touchdown pass.
This thrilling win took Cincinnati to 8-8 for the season and kept their season alive. The Broncos now need to beat the Chiefs next week to confirm their spot in the playoffs.
Bengals Nation! Check out the latest Cincinnati Bengals Schedule and dive into the Bengals Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
