When the Denver Broncos welcome in the Cincinnati Bengals to Sports Authority Field on Monday night, they’ll be playing in a virtual playoff game. Whoever walks out with a win will likely be walking out with the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in hand, which is the equivalent of a postseason victory.
It may be Brock Osweiler versus A.J. McCarron, backup versus backup, but this Monday Night Football matchup may be the biggest game of the season thus far.
Both teams have faced adversity all year — mainly, as evidenced by the backup showdown, at the quarterback position — but heading into Week 16, both the Bengals and Broncos have a Lombardi Trophy at the forefront of their minds.
A victory won’t be easy, but it’s definitely possible. Here’s what the Denver Broncos have to do to beat the Cincinnati Bengals:
Teach A.J. McCarron what it feels like to play a real NFL defense
For a fifth-round draft pick playing in his first eight quarters of meaningful NFL football, A.J. McCarron has actually played really well — better than I expected, at least. His 70 percent completion percentage for 472 yards (8.9 yards/attempt), three touchdowns and two interceptions are on par with anything Brock Osweiler has done through two games this season.
That said, McCarron hasn’t faced anything resembling the Denver Broncos defense.
In his first two games, McCarron faced a Steelers defense that gave up 27 points in the first half against the Broncos last week 20 points to a Ryan Mallet-led Ravens offense yesterday and a 49ers defense that ranks 28th in the NFL based on yards per game.
Conversely, the Broncos rank inside the top five in nearly every defensive category.
Wade Phillips and this Denver defense needs to send the house at McCarron; force him into making mistakes in the Broncos secondary. The Bengals may have one of the league’s best offensive lines, but they’ll be facing off against the league’s top pass rush; whoever wins that matchup should win the game.
