ANALYSIS: 5 takeaways from Bengals’ OT win over Broncos

Here are five takeaways from the win.

1. Fighting through adversity

The Bengals have been in many similar situations with the game on the line and things not going their way just when the tide seemed to be turning. This time, given additional opportunities to win, they found a way.

Higgins fumbled with just over five minutes left and the game tied at 17, and the way Denver was moving the ball on the defense, it seemed inevitable the Broncos would take the lead. Instead, Germaine Pratt intercepted Bo Nix after Joseph Ossai pressured him, and Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase on a 38-yard pass to set up the go-ahead score.

Burrow ended up scoring himself on a 1-yard sneak, but Cincinnati left 1:29 left on the clock for Denver to send the game to overtime, and the Broncos took advantage. In overtime, Cade York had a chance to win it and hit the left upright with 2:43 remaining, and the defense forced a second straight three-and-out. That gave the Bengals the ball back with plenty of time and Higgins had a 31-yard catch down the sideline to set up his game-winning score.

“There was a lot of adversity going on in this game, a lot of ups and downs,” Chase said. “The defense played big tonight and got us the opportunity to finish it.”

2. ‘Best offense in the league’

Burrow said Saturday’s performance proved what he’s thought to be true all along, that Cincinnati has the best offense in the league.

The Bengals struggled early against the league’s best redzone defense, but after turning the ball over on downs on the first two drives, both inside the Broncos’ 25-yard line, they managed to score points on six of their last nine possessions.

Burrow finished with more than 400 yards passing for the second time this season, totaled four touchdowns and extended his streak of games with 250-plus yards and three or more touchdowns to eight – something no other NFL quarterback has done. Denver is the first team with a winning record the Bengals have beaten, though seven of their losses were by a touchdown or less.

“I think we’re the best offense in the league,” Burrow said. “We’ve had our moments, just like every offense does, where you stall out a little bit, but we’ve been consistent this whole year with guys stepping up in big spots and making big plays for us. Guys go down, somebody else has to step up and make plays, and we’ve just consistently done that. It feels good to get a win like this, where now things are going our way down the stretch and the defense gets a couple big stops in overtime and we find a way to punch it in.”

Higgins finished with 131 yards and three touchdowns, and Ja’Marr Chase became the franchise’s single-season receptions leader with his fifth of nine catches for the day as he racked up 102 yards. He surpassed T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s 112 catches in 2007 and the record now stands at 117, which he said meant more happening in a win.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

3. Emotional day for Higgins

Higgins said he couldn’t help but think as he drove to the stadium Saturday that it might be the last time he does so for a home game in Bengals stripes, so his three-touchdown performance was that much more special.

The fifth-year wide receiver is playing this season on a franchise tag after being unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal the past two years, and although Burrow in recent interviews indicated he was going to do whatever it takes to make sure the Bengals can keep him, the future remains cloudy.

“This is a surreal feeling because I hope not, but that could have been my last game in the stripes here, so this game meant a lot more to me coming into it,” Higgins said.

Higgins said his emotions were all over the place, especially after his fumble could have cost the game. He was grateful for a chance to bounce back and win the game for his team. His performance also was notable after he was listed as questionable to even play Saturday because of a knee injury that surfaced in last week’s game, on top of an ankle issue he has been dealing with for a while now.

4. Questionable game management

Pratt said he thought his interception was going to lead to the game-winning score. That could have been the case, but Zac Taylor’s game management on the final drive of regulation came into question when the Bengals got to the Denver 6-yard line in a first-and-goal situation with 1:39 left and ran two plays to take the lead, using up just 10 seconds off the clock.

Cincinnati could have kneeled three times and kicked an easy field goal for the win and not left time for the Broncos to respond.

Chase Brown, who has been carrying the load since Zack Moss’ Oct. 27 neck injury, ran the ball up the middle and slid down short of the goal line on first down, but ended up injuring his ankle on the play and exiting for the remainder. Taylor said the staff had told Brown to slide and the plan was to kneel on second down, then try to score on third down or kick a field goal on fourth down, but the injury cost the Bengals a timeout and that changed the plans.

Although Denver was able to score and send the game to overtime, Cincinnati’s defense came through in the end with two three-and-outs. Pratt said the defense can’t give up big plays like at the end of regulation, but it just took “re-setting” and “locking in” to get the stops in overtime.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

5. O-line injuries a concern

The Bengals’ offensive line continues to show cracks that contributed to Burrow taking seven sacks Saturday, and injuries aren’t helping.

Amarius Mims tried playing with a broken hand but ended up getting pulled after the second drive, so Devin Cochran replaced him for the final possession of the half and finished the game at right tackle. Orlando Brown Jr. returned after missing three straight games and six of the last seven, but he revealed afterward that he was playing on a broken leg. He broke his fibula in two spots.

Brown said there are a couple other things going on around the leg, but he would have finished the game even if this was earlier in the season and the playoffs not yet on the line.

“It’s important to be able to suit up for this team and for this organization,” Brown said. “I take a lot of pride in being available for this organization. It’s hard being on the sidelines. Regardless, I would have gone out there and fought it.”