- WHERE: Empower Field at Mile High (Denver)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET
- HOW TO WATCH: ABC, NFL+
The Bengals and Broncos close out Week 4 on Monday night.
Cincinnati is playing with backup Jake Browning as franchise quarterback Joe Burrow underwent toe surgery earlier this month. Burrow is expected to miss at least three months. In Browning's first start, the Bengals had a tough test against a stingy Minnesota Vikings defense in a Week 3 loss. The Bengals hope Browning shakes off his first 2025 start with another tough challenge ahead in Denver.
As for the Broncos, Denver is coming off a heartbreaking loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. In their last two losses, the Broncos have blown a fourth-quarter lead and lost on field goals on the last play. It's been a rough start for Sean Payton's squad, but Denver at home has been on a six-game winning streak. The Broncos' last home loss came to the Chargers in Week 6 of the 2024 season.
Most recently, these two teams faced each other in Week 17, 2024 with the Bengals winning an overtime thriller. According to NFL Research, the Bengals-Broncos have met three previous times in prime-time games and the home team has won all of them.
The last time the Bengals and Broncos faced each other they were fighting in the playoff race. Even though it's early in the season, we could be looking back at the end of this year to see how this game affected the AFC postseason chase.
Two must-know storylines
1) Bengals, Browning to get back on track
Jake Browning's first start didn't go as planned as he threw for 140 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss to Minnesota. The running game with Chase Brown has been disappointing so far as the RB has 47 rush attempts for 93 yards. Brown is the first player since Buccaneers RB Reggie Cobb to have more than 40 carries but fewer than 2.0 yards per carry over his team's first three games of the season, per NFL Research. However, it's not all on Brown as his offensive line has been inconsistent to begin the year. A matchup the Bengals could be going to that saw a lot of success in last season's matchup was Tee Higgins, with Ja’Marr Chase expected to be covered by reigning Defensive Player of the Year cornerback, Pat Surtain II. Higgins recorded 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the AFC matchup last year. Chase and Higgins are known to be one of the best receiver tandems in the league. Browning must throw at them if the Bengals want to bounce back from a disappointing performance in Minnesota.
2) Broncos RB1 a kryptonite to Bengals?
When these two teams faced each other the last time, running back J.K. Dobbins was a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. In his first season with the Broncos, Dobbins leads the team with 41 carries for 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns. In fact, the veteran RB is the first Broncos player with 60-plus rush yards and one rush TD in each of the first three games of a season, per NFL Research. In his four career games versus the Bengals, Dobbins is averaging 73.5 yards on 8.9 yards per carry and four rushing scores. Cincinnati's defense allowed Vikings RB Jordan Mason rush for 116 yards and two TDs last week. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix has a track record of bouncing back in back-to-back losses. Nix is 3-0 after two straight losses and has completed 80.6 percent of his passes for an average of 281.3 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 129.8 passer rating. If Nix and Dobbins get rolling early, the Bengals defense could be in line for a long night.
Bengals' Week 4 injury report
| Player | Game status | Thurs. practice | Fri. practice | Sat. practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Fant, TE (concussion) | OUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Samaje Perine, RB (finger) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Dalton Risner, G (calf) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Shemar Stewart, DE (ankle) | OUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Cam Taylor-Britt, CB (hamstring) | --- | LP | LP | FP |
Broncos' Week 4 injury report
| Player | Game status | Thurs. practice | Fri. practice | Sat. practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Adkins, TE (foot) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Nik Bonitto, LB (wrist) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Evan Engram, TE (back) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| John Franklin-Myers, DE (hip) | --- | LP | FP | FP |
| Marvin Mims Jr., WR (hip) | QUESTIONABLE | --- | --- | LP |
| Alex Singleton, LB (thumb) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
