The Bengals shake off the Broncos’ late TD and win in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive

The Cincinnati Bengals tried to give away Saturday’s game. But somehow they are still alive in the AFC playoff race.

The Bengals suffered a clock management fiasco in the final two minutes of regulation that allowed Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix to push his team downfield and complete a touchdown pass with eight seconds left. The Broncos could have gone for the 2-point conversion and the win, which would have put them in the playoffs, but they chose to take the extra point and take their chances in overtime.

The Bengals had a 33-yard field goal attempt to win, but Cade York missed it and hit it off the upright. In the event of a tie, the Bengals would have been eliminated and the Broncos would have secured a spot in the playoffs.

But Cincinnati’s defense, a problem for most of the season, came through. It forced two three-pointers in overtime, and with just over a minute left, Burrow hit Tee Higgins with a huge catch to the 3-yard line. The Bengals won 30-24 on the next play with a touchdown pass to Higgins.

The Broncos would have secured a playoff spot and the Bengals would have been eliminated with a Denver win or a tie Saturday night. The Bengals still need a lot of help to get into the playoffs, including the Broncos’ loss in Week 18 to a Kansas City Chiefs team that has already secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. But Cincinnati still has hope. And unfortunately, the Broncos can’t end their playoff drought just yet.

The late win spared Bengals coach Zac Taylor, York and the Bengals as a whole a lot of heartache. Once again, Burrow got the Bengals out of a major mess.

Both teams have problems in the first half

The Bengals came into the game for a reason and needed the win. They haven’t been very good this season. That’s why they came into the game 7-8.

There were moments that reinforced that. They turned the game over on downs twice in the first half in Broncos territory, opting to go for it on fourth down instead of attempting field goals each time. When the Bengals turned over on second downs, they got to the 2-yard line but couldn’t turn it in, with Burrow badly missing Mike Gesicki at the goal line and Ja’Marr Chase making a terrible drop in the end zone on third down and then Burrow is sacked on fourth down.

In the third quarter, the Bengals had a long touchdown during which Andrei Iosivas was called back for an illegal shift penalty. It’s the kind of sloppy execution and costly mistakes that cost the Bengals eight losses heading into Saturday’s game.

Despite their record, the Broncos also have their limitations. The offense had problems in the first half. Nix had a good rookie season, but he’s still a rookie and wasn’t able to get much going until a touchdown drive late in the third quarter.

However, the game became more heated in the second half and extra time.

Bengals and Broncos trade big games

Towards the end of the third quarter, the offenses began to wake up. Denver had a 70-yard drive to tie the game 10-10. Tee Higgins scored his second touchdown of the game and the Broncos responded with a nice deep pass from Nix to Mims for a 51-yard score.

That was just the beginning of the big games. Nix had an interception that looked like it would lead to a Bengals win. Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt beat Nix. Chase had a few great catches and it looked like the Bengals would kick a field goal as time expired. But that didn’t happen.

The Bengals could have taken three knees and made a short field goal with almost no time lost. But the Bengals called for a run and Chase Brown injured himself trying to slide downfield instead of scoring, forcing the Bengals to call an injury timeout. That changed their strategy. Instead of setting up for a field goal, they let Burrow score with 1:29 left and took the lead. That was ultimately a mistake.

Nix took the Broncos downfield and hit Mims for a game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left. It took a replay to determine that Mims had control of the ball even as it slipped out of bounds, and the touchdown call on the field stood. The Broncos did not opt ​​for the 2-point conversion, instead opting to kick the extra point and send the game to overtime.

The Bengals won the coin toss and started overtime, but were unable to score and kicked the ball to the Broncos. A draw would have secured the Broncos a spot in the playoffs. Denver had a quick three-and-out that gave Burrow another chance to win the game. A couple of completions put the Bengals well within Cade York’s field goal range. But York hit the 33-yard attempt with 2:43 left in the post. At that point, the Bengals had to prevent the Broncos from getting a first down, as Denver would likely have been playing for the tie and running out time.

But the Bengals forced another three-pointer and gave Burrow another chance. They got the ball at their own 38-yard line with 2:20 left. Burrow’s 31-yard pass to Higgins down the sideline was the key play in winning and staying in the playoffs.

The Bengals must win in Week 18, the Broncos must lose and the Colts and Dolphins must each lose at least one more game. If all of this happens, Cincinnati will be in the playoffs. That’s a lot to ask, but Cincinnati has a chance heading into the final week of the season. Given all their problems on Saturday and for the entire season, that’s all they could ask for.