Tracking the best and worst from the Broncos’ victory Sunday.
UP: . What more can be said about Denver’s undrafted rookie running back? He showed excellent patience and vision on a 6-yard cutback touchdown run in the second quarter and then sprinted 65 yards to the end zone in the third quarter. Lindsay finished with a career-high 157 rushing yards.
DOWN: Starting fast. The first points on the scoreboard (Lindsay’s short touchdown rush) didn’t come until 2 minutes remained in the second quarter. The teams combined for seven punts in the first half. Denver held a narrow 7-3 lead at the break. Football so ugly you felt bad for those who coughed up big bucks for tickets. Not many did as the stadium was half empty.
UP: Forced turnovers. The formula for Denver’s second-half surge is simple: capitalize on takeaways. When Bengals’ punt return man Alex Erickson muffed a punt in the third quarter, the Broncos scored two plays later with a wide receiver touchdown catch. When Bengals’ quarterback Jeff Driskel tossed an interception to safety in the red zone, the Broncos added another touchdown when Lindsay took off for his 65-yard scoring scamper. Linebacker Bradley Chubb also recorded a strip-sack recovery in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal.
DOWN: Health. Paul Brown Stadium seemed like a war zone Sunday with players from both teams dropping left and right. Denver featured three players ruled out with injury: linebacker Josey Jewell (ankle), cornerback (lower leg) and defensive end (ribs). Cincinnati also lost wide receiver (foot) for the game in the second quarter.
UP: Miller’s sack streak. Linebacker Von Miller entered Sunday’s game with at least a half sack in each of his previous six games. Miller extended that streak to seven games (a career high) with 1-1/2 sacks. His fourth quarter take-down of Driskel forced a punt and kept Cincinnati’s comeback effort in check.
DOWN: Clean play. Another game, another flurry of yellow flags. The Bengals were hit with 12 penalties for 100 yards. The Bengals added seven for 60 yards. Not pretty.
UP: Weather. The temperature back in Denver at kickoff Sunday? Sub-40 degrees. The temperature in Cincinnati as the teams took the field? Above-60 degrees. A strange, but welcomed, weather phenomenon for a December NFL game in the Midwest. One drawback: strong and gusting winds were an issue for the punt/kickoff/field goal units.
DOWN: ‘s hot seat. For the first time as Broncos’ head coach, Vance Joseph has rattled off three victories in a row. Does that mean he will return next year? Of course not, but so long as Denver remains in the playoff chase, Joseph can feel confident in his immediate job security.
