Instant reaction: Broncos late game heroics fall short in 30-24 overtime loss to Bengals

The Denver Broncos rallied late in the game but fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 30-24.

The Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals squared off on Saturday afternoon in their biggest game of the season.

The Broncos made several splash plays in the second half to tie the game and send it to overtime. Sadly, their late game heroics fell short. In an unfathomable turn of events, they couldn’t get a first down on two drives in overtime and bungled a gifted opportunity. A late touchdown by the Bengals sealed the deal and propelled them to a 30-24 victory over the Broncos.

Football fans might have enjoyed the game for the thrills, but there is no doubt Broncos Country is devastated after this loss. Here are some instant reactions from today’s loss.

After scoring on their opening drive, the Broncos’ offense vanishes in first half against the Bengals

The Broncos won the coin toss and opted to receive the ball in the first half. I thought that was a gutsy call for a variety of reasons. One factor considering the potential of being down at halftime on the road against a Bengals team who has been scoring a lot of points as of late.

Once that decision was made, it signaled Head Coach Sean Payton wanted to control the pace of the game right from the start. After some promising runs and passes, the offense was able to get into the red zone with relative ease. A late throw to Courtland Sutton on third down missed the mark. After 10 plays and 58 yards, the Broncos had to settle for a 30-yard Wil Lutz field goal.

Unfortunately, the offense didn’t do anything the rest of the half. They only possessed the ball for twelve minutes and generated just six first downs and 102 total yards—55 yards passing and 47 yards rushing. That’s just 42 yards more than the first drive and even worse, they were just 1-of-5 on third down. Quite underwhelming, but the worst part was the points left off the board at the end of the half.

With under two minutes left to go, Denver’s offense was poised to get another field goal. Alas, Nix took back-to-back sacks and were subsequently knocked out of field goal range. The opening thirty minutes ended in a collective whimper from Broncos Country.

Broncos’ defense bends, but doesn’t break against Bengals in first half efforts

Led by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals have had one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL this season. It was always going to be a tough task for Defensive Coordinator Vance Jospeh to put together a gameplan to slow them down. But in the first half, the Broncos limited the damage.

Crossing and out routes were often used to the Bengals’ advantage and the Broncos had trouble defending their tight ends. They had 162 total yards in the first half and burned up 18 minutes of clock after registering 14 first downs. Overall, the Bengals offense was four-of-six on third downs.

However, Denver’s defense held strong and made two huge fourth down stops in the first half. After the Broncos’ offense had a quick three-and-out drive with a few minutes remaining in the first half, Burrow was able to pick apart the Broncos’ defense and connect with Tee Higgins for a 2-yard touchdown pass to get their first points of the game.

Bo Nix and Marvin Mims connected for two spectacular touchdowns that gave the team hope

The offense had a rough first half. However, Nix and Mims tried to change the narrative for the offense with what they accomplished in the fourth quarter. All hope seemed lost, but they connected for two incredible touchdowns. The first was this insane 51-yard touchdown pass that traveled a total of 67 air yards. One which was easily Nix’s best throw of the season.

The second came on fourth down with everything on the line. With everyone’s blood pressure sky high with just seconds remaining—all hope seemed lost. Somehow, someway, Mims was able to come down with the ball between two defenders on a miracle throw by Nix. This kept the game alive and allowed them to send it to overtime.

Riley Moss had a tough first game back after being injured

Riley Moss has been a pretty good player this season. For most games, he has been a bright spot opposite of Patrick Surtain II. The team sorely missed him when he was gone. Unfortunately, he had a rough return to the field and was picked on by Burrow throughout the game. He gave up several big plays, including Higgins’ third touchdown of the game that won it for the Bengals. It was easily his worst performance as a pro and not what fans were hoping for upon his return to the field.

The Broncos can still make the playoffs in multiple scenarios.

Back-to-back losses aren’t good. Though the Broncos can still get into the playoffs by defeating the Chiefs next weekend. They can also get in if the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals both lose next weekend. The Chiefs should be resting a lot of their starters, but we don’t know if that’s a certainty. I wouldn’t doubt Andy Reid wanting to keep Sean Payton and his team out of the playoffs.