Broncos, defense jump on Bengals early, snap 2-game skid

DENVER — Three hours before Monday night’s game, an ominous sky covered most of the downtown neighborhoods that surround Empower Field at Mile High.

But the quirky weather in the Rocky Mountain regions can change on a whim, much like the Denver Broncos so far this season. They had lost back-to-back games — both coming on the last play — heading into their prime-time matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The sun eventually popped out before kickoff and things looked much brighter for the home team in a 28-3 rout. They did it with a defense that showed its elite potential once again — albeit against an offense without injured quarterback Joe Burrow — and quarterback BO Nix had his most complete game of the season as he notched his first 300-yard passing game (326) of the year.

There were issues, such as penalties (7 for 72 yards) — the Broncos entered this weekend’s games tied for the fourth-most penalty yardage and Monday won’t help the totals as center Luke Wattenberg was flagged four times alone — and drops on offense, including two by wide receiver Troy Franklin.

But with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles next on the docket with a trip to London the following week, the Broncos needed to regain their balance, especially Nix.

And Monday’s get-right win did just that.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

What to make of the QB performance: Nix entered the weekend 26th in the league in QBR after a Week 3 performance against the Chargers when he missed multiple big-play chances with overthrows to open receivers. The Broncos had a more reigned-in approach Monday, and Nix was far more settled. With a little more intention in the run game and the continued security blanket of Courtland Sutton — 81 yards receiving — Nix had a composed night overall. Save for an end zone interception late in the first half, he showed more settled footwork in the pocket and easily had his best passing game of the season. His 206 passing yards in Indianapolis in Week 2 had been his season high.

Most surprising performance: Tight end Evan Engram has dealt with calf and back injuries already his season — he missed the Week 3 loss in Los Angeles — so he has not had a full docket of practice time in the team’s offense. But the team’s biggest acquisition in free agency on offense this past offseason is still in search of his bust-out game. By the end of the third quarter, Engram had three receptions for 18 yards and a drop on his six targets. The beleaguered Bengals’ defense struggled to get the Broncos off the field, but the Broncos are going to need to find ways to get Engram involved — meaning there will be games where they need more than four catches for 29 yards from him. Coach Sean Payton has said it is an important match-up to be able to win in the middle of the field against nickel defenses.

Stat to know: J.K. Dobbins‘ 101-yard rushing effort ended a regular-season streak of 37 games for the Broncos without a 100-yard rusher. Latavius Murray had the last 100-yard rushing game for the Broncos in the 2022 season finale — 103 yards on Jan. 8, 2023, against the Chargers.

Troubling trend: It will be lost in the mist of what became a rather tidy get-well win, but when the Bengals finished off their opening drive with a 26-yard field from Evan McPhersonit meant all four of the Broncos’ opponents had opening-drive field goals. The Broncos, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only teams in the league that have not scored first in a game this season. — Jeff Legwold

Next game: at Philadelphia Eagles (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

By starting the season 2-0, the Bengals were off to their best start during coach Zac Taylor’s tenure. But that feels like a distant memory, even though it was just two weeks ago.

A week ago, Cincinnati was handed its worst loss in franchise history, a 38-point loss on the road to the Vikings. Monday’s loss to the Broncos didn’t feature the turnovers that plagued Cincinnati a week ago, but the longer the game went on, the more it still carried the same vibe. Both games did have one thing in common: The offense mustered just three points through the first three quarters.

But this defeat could be more concerning. Because this was as comprehensive a defeat as the Bengals have been handed in quite some time. Cincinnati’s offense never got rolling. The defense was gashed throughout the night. And the Bengals were whistled for 11 penalties for 65 yards, with several of those coming while the outcome was still in question. And it’s not going to get any easier with games against NFC powers Detroit and Green Bay ahead on the schedule.

What to make of the QB performance: Jake Browning tried to be aggressive early and push the ball downfield, but through three quarters, he didn’t have a ton of success. During that span, he was 11-of-20 passing for 106 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. On throws of 10 or more air yards, Browning was 2-of-7 passing, according to Next Gen Stats. Outside of one drive, the offense was out of sorts for a bulk of the evening. He finished 14 of 25 for 125 yards with no TD or interception.

Troubling trend: The Bengals have gotten the doors blown off in back-to-back first halves. Between games against Denver and Minnesota, Cincinnati was outscored a combined 55-6 in the first half, including 21-3 on Monday. Cincinnati was outgained by 210 yards in the first half as the Bengals surrendered more than 300 yards for the second time in the last three years.

Stat to know: Cincinnati’s offense was nonexistent in the middle of the game when Denver gained control. Excluding penalties, the Bengals gained 21 yards on 18 offensive plays on five full drives that spanned between the first and the third quarter. During Browning’s previous stint as a starting quarterback in 2023, Cincinnati’s offense was still effective. Through two games, that has not been the case. – Bent Baby

Next game: vs. Detroit Lions (4:25 PM and Sunday)