Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Week 16

The Denver Broncos have already clinched the AFC West Division title for the fourth-straight year, now they have their eyes set on home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. It won’t be easy, however. The New England Patriots hold the tiebreaker after defeating Denver at Gillette Stadium week 9, and their two remaining opponents are @ Jets and vs. Bills.

What: NFL Preview – Week 16: Denver Broncos (11-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1)
When: Monday, December 22nd
Where: Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Time: 8:30 PM EST, 6:30 PM MST
TV: ESPN

Denver is coming off an impressive shutdown victory over the division rival San Diego Chargers – a team that’s battling for a playoff spot in the west. Connor Barth was essentially the hero in the ballgame, going a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts to help lift Denver to their 11th victory of the season. Demaryius Thomas also shined in the victory. The talented receiver catch six passes from Peyton Manning, tallying over 123 yards and a touchdown to his credit.

Peyton Manning was battling flu-like symptoms, but the team didn’t fold as they showed their depth and new-found run game. The offense as a whole rushed for 111 yards on 39 carries – only 2.8 yards per. C.J. Anderson shouldered the load yet again, capturing 85 rushing yards on 29 carries.

More from Denver Broncos

• The 2019-2020 Broncos Depth At Tight End Could Be A Huge Strength To This Offense
• Broncos Position Battles to Watch as Preseason Approaches
• NFL Draft 2019 Denver Broncos Day 2 Picks
• Losing Chris Harris Jr. Would Be A Tragic Loss For Broncos And John Elway
• NFL Draft 2019 Denver Broncos take Noah Fant with the 20th Pick

Denver’s defense was strong. The team collected six pass-deflections throughout the game, three of those coming from cornerback Aqib Talib. Talib would also go on to record an interception off Phillip Rivers. Rahim Moore also recorded an interception late in the game to seal the Broncos victory.

The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a shutout victory over the Cleveland Browns. Their defense kept Johnny Manziel in check, even though he held onto the ball for far too long throughout the game. Cincinnati’s defense gave up just 107 total yards of offense as the team recorded three sacks, six tackles for a loss, and four pass deflections.

Denver will need to make sure to keep Jeremy Hill in-check after his monster performance vs. Cleveland. The running back recorded 148 yards on the ground, including a pair of touchdown runs. Giovani Bernard added 79 yards of his own on the ground as the Bengals achieved 244 yards rushing on 45 attempts – 5.4 yards per.

The matchup to watch for would have to be Denver’s number two ranked defense at stopping the run toe-to-toe against the Bengals sixth-ranked rushing offense.

Kick-off between the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST, 6:30 PM MST on ESPN.