Cincinnati (2-1) at Denver (1-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ABC.
BetMGM NFL odds: Broncos by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Bengals 1-2, Broncos 0-3.
Series record: Broncos lead 22-12.
Last meeting: Bengals beat Broncos 30-24 in overtime on Dec. 28, 2024, in Cincinnati.
Last week: Bengals lost to Vikings 48-10; Broncos lost to Chargers 23-20.
Bengals offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (27), scoring (24).
Bengals defense: overall (25), rush (22), pass (25), scoring (26).
Broncos offense: overall (19-T), rush (8), pass (25), scoring (17).
Broncos defense: overall (19), rush (21), pass (18), scoring (16).
Turnover differential: Bengals minus-4; Broncos minus-1.
Bengals player to watch
WR Tee Higgins had 11 receptions for 131 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the Bengals' 30-24 Week 17 overtime victory against Denver last season. He has only seven catches for 104 yards and a TD in the first three games this season.
Broncos players to watch
QB Bo Nix is off to a sputtering start. Bad footwork led to three overthrows of open receivers on deep passes last week that would have allowed the Broncos to beat the Chargers and vault into the AFC West lead. All of Sean Payton's Super Bowl talk this summer along with the insistence that Nix was an elite passer might have put too much pressure on the second-year quarterback.
Key matchup
Cincinnati DE Trey Hendrickson vs. Broncos LT Garett Boles. Hendrickson has two sacks in the first three games along with 15 QB pressures (tied for seventh in the league) and eight quick pressures (tied for third). According to Next Gen Stats, Bolles has allowed only five pressures on 106 pass blocking snaps. The 4.7% pressure rate allowed is the lowest among left tackles with at least 50 pass snaps.
Key injuries
Bengals: QB Joe Burrow is out until mid-December following toe surgery. ... TE Noah Fant is in concussion protocol. ... DE Shemar Stewart has an ankle injury and could miss his second straight game.
Broncos: Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is on IR and has yet to make his Broncos debut because of a quadriceps injury. ... Also dealing with injuries are TE Evan Engram (back) and LB Justin Strnad (foot).
Series notes
The Broncos beat the Bengals eight consecutive times between 1983 and 1998, but the series has been pretty much even since then with Cincinnati winning three of the past four meetings, including twice in Denver, in 2017 and 2021.
Stats and stuff
Cincinnati is 5-20 as the road team on “Monday Night Football” but has won its past two. … The Bengals have a 30-57 record in regular-season night games. … QB Jake Browning has thrown five interceptions in seven quarters this season. He threw for a career-high 354 yards in his only Monday night start on Dec. 4, 2023, at Jacksonville. … RB Chase Brown was held to 3 yards on 10 carries last week at Minnesota. His minus-54 yards this season before contact are 24 fewer than any other running back since the NFL’s Next Gen Stats began tracking in 2018. … WR Ja’Marr Chase is averaging 146.3 receiving yards in five Monday night games and has five touchdowns. … TE Noah Fant played three seasons with Denver and is coming off a five-catch game last week. … LB Demetrius Knight is one of three rookies in the league with at least five tackles in each of the first three weeks. ... The Broncos have lost consecutive games in which they didn't trail in the fourth quarter only to watch their opponents make walk-off field goals with no time remaining. ... QB Bo Nix has thrown a TD pass in 12 consecutive games. ... Nix has won his past six home starts and is 2-1 in his career in prime time. ... RB J.K. Dobbins is one of two RBs (James Cook) with a TD run in each of the first three games so far. ... WR Marvin Mims Jr. had eight catches for 103 yards and two TDs in last season's game against the Bengals. ... LB Nik Bonitto had two sacks last week. He has gotten to the QB in eight straight home games. ... CB Ja'Quan McMillian has forced a fumble in two of Denver's three games. ... S Brandon Jones had 11 tackles and an interception against the Chargers.
Fantasy tip
WR Courtland Sutton has sandwiched big games around a one-catch performance at Indianapolis in Week 2. In the opener, Sutton caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and last week he caught six passes for 118 yards and a score.
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