Bengals' Win Over Steelers Gives Broncos No Breathing Room in Week 18

The Cincinnati Bengals have left the Denver Broncos no choice.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) looks to the video board to see a replay of himself being sacked in the third quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. The Bengals took a 30-24 win in overtime to remain in the post season chase. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering the season's final week, there was a way for the Denver Broncos to make the playoffs even with three straight losses to close out the season. That option is no longer available, with the Cincinnati Bengals beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season finale.

Since the Bengals beat the Broncos, they own the head-to-head tiebreaker and would make the playoffs over the Broncos if they end up with the same record. 

If the Broncos fail to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the finale, especially with many starters sitting out for the Chiefs, they'll have no one to blame but themselves. The Broncos will have had three games to clinch a playoff spot and have been in control of the seventh seed in the AFC since about Week 13. Let's hope it doesn't happen, as it would be one of the worst collapses in team memory. 

Sure, no one expected the Broncos to be in play for the playoffs, as they're in their first year of a rebuild with a young roster and a rookie quarterback, but to have it slip through their grasp would be unacceptable regardless of the other circumstances with the team. 

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There is a lot of blame to go around for the Broncos' failure to clinch so far. The defense, which was one of the best to start the season, has been one of the worst over the past five weeks.

Over the first 12 weeks of the season, the Broncos were third in EPA/play and third in success rate, but since Week 13, they rank 12th in EPA/Play and 16th in success rate. Denver's EPA/Play is boosted by takeaways, especially with five of their takeaways being for a touchdown this season, which leads the NFL. This falls on coaching, injuries, talent issues, and a lack of depth on the defense. 

The offense has had its issues as well. Bo Nix has been inconsistent in recent weeks, and the offensive play-calling has been rough, especially in four-minute drills before the half and at the end of the game.

With their last game going to overtime, the play-calling in the extra period was also a disaster. As the play-caller, Sean Payton has struggled in these moments in his two years in Denver. This is something for him to reflect on and look to fix after this season, regardless of the outcome of this game. 

The Broncos are out of chances. They must win or miss the playoffs. The Broncos either walk away with a win and are getting ready for a game next week, or they go home when their season is over, and they can take a vacation and prepare for free agency and the NFL draft. 

Making the playoffs would be great, though, especially for a fan base that has had to grow accustomed to losing over the last decade despite the historic franchise being built on winning seasons. This can be a great start to Nix’s legacy and add to Payton's if they can lead this team to the playoffs in Year 1 together, that is for sure.

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