The Denver Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals to close out Week 4 of the NFL season, but with the Bengals clearly hurting without star quarterback Joe Burrow, and the Broncos narrowly losing their last two games late, anything can happen.
The Broncos have just the third-fewest yards allowed this season, and the second-fewest points allowed as things stand. This should spell trouble for backup quarterback Jake Browning and his five interceptions in 59 pass attempts. The Bengals as a whole are tied for the most turnovers in the NFL, despite just three games played, and the three teams co-leading with them have played four.
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The Broncos haven’t been exactly impressive on offense either, sitting a bit below league average at 5.2 yards per play. Quarterback Bo Nix seems to still have some rust to shake off — tossing five touchdowns to three interceptions, thus far — to get back to where the expectations sat after his electric rookie campaign last year.
Will the Bengals improve to 3-1, or will the Broncos get back to .500 on Monday Night Football? The staff at Newsweek Sports has some insight.
Noah Camras: The Broncos have been extremely disappointing early this season as second-year quarterback Bo Nix has endured a sophomore slump. However, they get the Bengals, who were walloped, 48-10, without Joe Burrow last week. The Broncos defense will slow down Jake Browning, while Nix and the offense do enough to get back to .500 on the season.
Prediction: Broncos 20, Bengals 13
Valentina Martinez: The Broncos and Bengals face off in a Monday Night Football showdown, and both teams have suffered tough losses the previous week. However, I’m taking Denver to bounce back in a strong offensive display.
Prediction: Broncos 27 , Bengals 17
Nelson Espinal: The Bengals played terribly last week, getting completely dominated by a Carson Wentz-led Vikings team. The Broncos present an even tougher test, with a better defense talent-wise and a stable offense. Jake Browning has looked rough so far since replacing Joe Burrow, and the Cincinnati defense is matching the Dallas Cowboys as one of the worst in football. Expect the Broncos to roll and dominate on both sides of the ball — especially in the trenches — and bounce back after a Week 3 loss.
Prediction: Broncos 34, Bengals 12
Gabe Smallson: The Broncos can very easily be undefeated this season, losing by a total of four points over the last two weeks. With a Bengals team clearly hurting without superstar Joe Burrow at quarterback, especially given their absolute thrashing at the hands of the Vikings last week, I have the Broncos handily beating them. Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning has the third-most interceptions in the league with five, and with Broncos three-time Pro Bowler Pat Surtain II looking to relish the competition against Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase, I don’t think things will be pretty at Mile High.
Prediction: Broncos 38, Bengals 15