Bengals have chance to get big road breakthrough in Denver

It’s rather simple actually, the Chiefs can clinch if they win and either the New York Jets or Pittsburgh Steelers lose.

For the second consecutive year, the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals will face off in the final Monday Night Football game of the regular season; Denver is hoping to reverse its fortunes on several fronts, not the least of which is its current two-game losing skid. One possible gleam of light is that the Broncos allowed 332 yards to Pittsburgh receivers last week, but the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger. AJ McCarron threw for 192 yards and one touchdown in 15 of 21 passes. Brock Osweiler had a great game as well, adding 296 yards and three TDs through the air.

Stewart also has familiarity with the Bengals, having played in Baltimore last season. The New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals have their spot clinched, and so do the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks. I’ll ride the Broncos as 3-point favorites at minus-120, the line posted at CG Technology, Golden Nugget and William Hill books. But if the Broncos lose, they’ll need a Week 17 win over the Chargers to avoid a potential slide all the way out of the playoffs, depending on the result of the Jets-Bills game (a NY win in that case would bump Denver from the tournament).

This should go without saying that this game means a lot for the Denver Broncos. Turning to the Broncos defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on. However, in worst case scenario, the Broncos may not be in the playoffs.

Across the field, the Bengals head into Week 16 with records of 11-2-1 ATS and 11-3 SU. Not only were the Steelers upset by the Ravens, but the New England Patriots (12-3) were upset by the New York Jets (10-5) in overtime, thanks, in large part, to an odd coin toss situation.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert and Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin are both headed to Hawaii to represent their respective squads in the league’s annual all-star game. Preparing for Cincinnati’s top-five scoring defense could be challenging for the Broncos. Cincinnati has held six of its past nine opponents to 14 points or fewer. Avoiding turnovers will be critical for the Broncos against the Bengals defense, which ranks fourth in the league in turnovers with 2.1 per away game. We’ll stay focused on that. This game could very well decide which team will get the first round bye when the playoffs start. It’s that part of the season where field position (is important).

Denver is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games.

Denver Broncos: At 10-4, the Broncos still haven’t clinched a playoff spot. After four games inactive due to the injury, Ware played in a limited capacity the past two weeks and didn’t register a stat in either of those games.