3 Gut-Wrenching Takeaways from Broncos' 30-24 OT Loss to Bengals

What did we learn from the Denver Broncos' seventh loss of the season?

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on in the third quarter of the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Saturday, the Denver Broncos lost a heartbreaking 30-24 overtime game to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. The Broncos fell to 9-7 on the season, while Bengals climbed to .500 at 8-8.

This was Denver’s second straight road loss to an AFC opponent that would’ve clinched the team's first playoff berth since 2015. Now, the Broncos must win their regular season finale at home against the 15-1 Kansas City Chiefs to clinch a postseason berth, who’ve already secured the No. 1 playoff seed.

For the Bengals, the hard-fought victory continues their four-game winning streak, keeping playoff hopes alive, but they need to beat the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, and they need the Broncos to lose to Kansas City, along with needing the 7-8 Indianapolis Colts and 7-8 Miami Dolphins to lose one of their last two games. 

The weather wasn’t an issue for either team in a fired-up Cincinnati ‘Jungle’ that featured the second of three NFL Saturday games in Week 17. As the Broncos limp back to the Mile High City disheartened and frustrated, they’ll have one final shot at a win-and-in scenario against a division rival renowned in Denver for dashing dreams and causing disappointment.

What did we learn from Week 17's gut-wrenching loss? Let’s get to three frustrating takeaways from the Broncos' brutal overtime loss to the Bengals.

Payton’s Predictability Handicaps the Offense

For as exciting as this holiday-season primetime game was, the Broncos offense continued to hamstring the strength of this team due to head coach Sean Payton’s game plan and play-calling. Despite Denver’s final two offensive scores, which occurred late in the fourth quarter via rookie quarterback Bo Nix connecting second-year wideout Marvin Mims Jr. for a combined 76 yards on two big-play touchdowns, the offense was mostly weak and ineffective.

Payton’s offense went 4-for-12 on third down and only recorded 19 total first downs to the Bengals’ 34. The Bengals also outgained the Broncos by 170 total yards in addition to possessing the football for nearly 15 minutes longer, amounting to an NFL quarter. The Broncos also collected four more penalties than Cincy for a whopping seven flags that cost them -35 yards in the tightly contested matchup.

Nix finished the game 24-of-31 for 219 passing yards and three touchdowns, with an untimely fourth-quarter interception. The pick came as the rookie's arm was hit as he was throwing by Joseph Ossai.

The turnover spelled Nix’s sixth interception thrown in the last four games, which could be the reason why Payton seems overly gun-shy to let his first-round playmaker attack the depths of the field in the beginning half of games. 

Ever since Nix’s three-interception performance vs. the Colts in Week 15, which also included three touchdowns in a 31-13 Broncos win, Payton’s offense feels overly cautious with oddly timed screens, swing passes, and inconsistencies with the run game. Saturday's loss marked 33 straight games without a running back eclipsing 100 yards rushing, the longest active streak in which an NFL.

Jaleel McLaughlin was the game’s leading rusher with 69 yards on 10 attempts after missing last week’s contest in L.A., while Nix was the second-leading rusher with 31 yards. Payton is still jamming the round peg in the square hole by lining up Mims in the backfield as a runner. Mims recorded -1 yards on one attempt, though he would lead the team in receiving with eight receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

At this point, one must wonder whether Payton can truly lean on anyone in his staff to stand up and test some of the veteran playcaller’s tendencies or preferences. After all, in a team setting, human beings are only as good as the people they work with, especially in the ultimate team game of pro football.

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Riley ‘Moss-ed’ by Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a touchdown pass over Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) in the fourth 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

After missing three games with a knee injury, Broncos second-year cornerback Riley Moss returned to the starting lineup against a Bengals offense lying in wait. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ambushed Vance Joseph’s young defensive back in a variety of matchups that resulted in 412 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Burrow caught Moss on a pass interference penalty early in the first half that set up a 1st-&-Goal scenario in which Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase dropped a would-be touchdown with Denver's fiery No. 2 cornerback in coverage. It was Bengals veteran wideout Tee Higgins who truly got the better of Moss, recording seven catches on eight targets for 101 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 25 snaps the two players lined up across from one another.

Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki also found favorable matchups against Moss, finishing the game with 10 receptions for 86 yards. Early in the first half, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Gesicki hurdled Denver’s 6-foot,193-pound corner, with the tight end's knee connecting with Moss' head. 

Moss would be sidelined for the final three minutes of the first half but returned to the starting lineup in the third quarter. Refusing to quit on his teammates and himself, Moss led the team with 11 solo tackles and showed some quality wrap-up tackling and an elevated level of poise despite being picked on for the entire game. 

While Moss remains a staple in the Broncos defense for the rest of this season and in the team's future, the status of both his health and effectiveness are in question right now. The Broncos may need to improvise and supplement their secondary with other cornerbacks, including Damarri Mathis and Kris Abrams-Draine, in the wake of Moss’ rough return. 

Broncos Set Franchise Sack Record 

Dec 28, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) reacts after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

It's exceedingly rare for a defense to record seven sacks from five separate players en route to a devastating loss, but such was the case for a Broncos defense that battered Burrow to no avail. Defensive end Zach Allen led the charge with 3.5 sacks for -13.5 yards in addition to two tackles and five assists. Rush linebackers Jonathon Cooper (1.5 sacks) and Dondrea Tillman, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, and defensive end John Franklin-Myers also got in on the Burrow action.

Denver’s defense entered the contest as the NFL’s leader in sacks with the No. 8 overall defense. The Broncos exited the game with seven sacks, recording a franchise-best 58 sacks in 16 games. This surpasses the Broncos' previous record of 57 sacks in 16 games set in 1984.

For reference, during the team's famed Super Bowl 50 defense, led by Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and the No Fly Zone secondary, the Broncos recorded 52 sacks in the same number of games (16). The 2024 Broncos boast six players with at least five sacks, the highest number of individuals to have at least five sacks in team history.

So, while I’m sure that Denver’s defense would’ve preferred the victory and playoff berth if given the choice between setting a franchise record and losing the game, I can’t help but wonder whether this pass-rushing posse will take out its frustrations on whoever lines up at quarterback for the Chiefs in Week 18.

Chalk up this new team record as the only silver lining in a heartbreaking seventh loss and a blown opportunity to clinch a playoff berth for the second straight week.

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