Broncos Dominate Bengals as Nix Shines, Cincinnati Struggles Without Burrow
Denver — Broncos quarterback Russell Nix had a night to remember, completing 29 of 42 passes as Denver (2-2) earned its second straight home victory, outgaining the Cincinnati Bengals 512-159. The Bengals (2-2), still without injured quarterback Joe Burrow, dropped their second consecutive game.
J.K. Dobbins broke Denver’s long drought of 100-yard rushers, finishing with 101 yards on 16 carries.
Cincinnati’s backup QB Jake Browning struggled, completing 14 of 25 passes for just 125 yards, as the Bengals’ offense stalled for much of the first half and into the third quarter. From 14:08 in the second quarter to 6:11 remaining in the third, Cincinnati failed to pick up a single first down. After opening with a 26-yard field goal from Evan McPherson, the Bengals punted on eight of their remaining possessions, excluding a kneel-down at halftime.
Cincinnati’s early struggles mirrored their previous blowout loss, trailing 21-3 at halftime and being outscored 55-6 in the first halves of their last two defeats.
The Bengals briefly showed life when rookie Demetrius Knight intercepted Nix in the end zone on a fourth-and-1 from the Cincinnati 2, halting a red zone attempt. However, after a three-and-out series, Denver struck back. Facing third-and-10 from their own 33, Nix connected with Marvin Mims on a 28-yard gain to the Cincinnati 39. Four plays later, he found Courtland Sutton for a 20-yard touchdown, stretching the halftime lead to 21-3.
Cincinnati’s sloppy play continued, as the team was flagged 11 times (eight accepted) for 50 yards in the first half. A notable penalty wiped out a 37-yard Tee Higgins reception due to an illegal formation against right tackle Amarius Mims.
Denver capitalized on Cincinnati’s mistakes throughout the game. A 24-yard punt by Ryan Rehkow set up a 64-yard, nine-play touchdown drive, capped by a six-yard scramble from Nix in the first quarter. Marvin Mims Jr. later added a 16-yard touchdown run, as the Broncos racked up 305 first-half yards. Nix completed 17 of 26 passes for 217 yards, while Cincinnati managed only 94 total yards before halftime.
In total, the Bengals lost 65 yards on 11 penalties, while Denver was flagged seven times for 72 yards.
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