Broncos vs Bengals: 11 winners, 3 losers from Denver’s 24-10 win

The Denver Broncos just keep finding ways to win games.

Better yet, it wins them even when faced with adversity over the course of those games. On Sunday it was another rash of injuries, but to the Broncos’ credit, that wasn’t a hindrance. That’s three weeks in a row Denver has responded to adversity, overcome it and left with a win. This time a 24-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now at 6-6, the Broncos are thick in the AFC playoff picture, have won three-straight games and are one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

Winners

Phillip Lindsay

He is just ... “Philthy.” The latest evidence was the six-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half. The vision and cut-back he showed on that run was so good. Then in the second half, Lindsay produced a play that would give us a Dick Enberg, “Oh my!” The 65-yard touchdown run was a beautiful sight for Lindsay but also for the Broncos. Soak this up and enjoy it, Broncos Country. Lindsay is a special player. He finished the game with 19 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns for an eye-popping 8.3 yards per carry. Lindsay’s 937 yards rushing are the most through 12 games by any undrafted rookie since the 1970 merger, according to NFL Research.

Broncos offensive line

The guys up front just continue to impress. For as good as Lindsay was, Denver’s line was just as good. It did allow two sacks, but that’s about all you could say about the unit — for this game or the last three weeks. As a team, the Broncos finished with 218 yards rushing and 361 total.

Shelby Harris

The fourth-year defensive tackle continues to stack up great performance on top of great performance, and is becoming a game-wrecker for Denver’s defense from interior of the line. Harris finished with 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, two tackles and one tackle for loss. At just 27, he could be the answer at defensive tackle for the Broncos and bring another piece to this defense.

Courtland Sutton

How about that gorgeous pitch-and-catch from Keenum to Denver’s rookie on the 30-yard touchdown? That’s the type of play we’ve been wanting to see from Sutton and the offense. Even better is the aggressive play calling after the fumble recovery, and for the second week in a row, that’s been the case. To actually see complimentary football again is fun to see. Sutton led the Broncos with four catches for 85 yards and that touchdown.

Orange Rush

Instead of listing Bradley Chubb and Von Miller separately, I’ll just combine them. The Orange Rush sealed the game and proved why these two are the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL. Chubb finished with three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Miller finished with three tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. He now has a seven-game sack streak that is tied for the longest of his career. Seriously, if you haven’t gotten this badass shirt, never has it been more relevant than now, given how Chubb and Miller are playing. Plus, you can get it for a great deal.

Colby Wadman

It’s not often you’ll see the punter on this list, but Wadman deserves it. Denver’s punter had a remarkable day. Not only did he average 43.3 yards on his six punts, four of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. That’s how you flip field position, put your defense in a position to make plays, and play complimentary football.

The Broncos defense

Todd Davis, Justin Simmons, Su’a Cravens, Joe Jones and Isaac Yiadom are just some of the guys who stepped up for Denver. When the defense lost Chris Harris Jr. and Derek Wolfe, Broncos fans held their breath. But the unit stepped up big time and overcame the adversity. Anytime you hold an NFL offense to 10 points on the road, you played a great game. The fact those injuries didn’t derail the unit is also a great sign for Denver as it heads into the last four games.

Turnover margin

Another plus-two on Sunday puts the Broncos at plus-8 in the last three games. That’s how you win in the NFL.

Vance Joseph

Denver has now won three-straight games and is in serious playoff discussion. It’s also the first game the Broncos have won at 11 a.m. MT. under Joseph. He’s a major reason why this team is in the position it’s in right now. Whatever his team encounters on the field, it’s prepared for it. On Sunday that happened with how players responded to the injuries. That’s a testament to Joseph and his staff.

Denver’s playoff hopes

Not only did the Broncos keep the dream alive, they got some help from the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 6-0 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Also keep an eye on Sunday night’s Los Angeles Chargers game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Update: The game was no help to Denver.

Pat Bowlen

The Broncos owner now has the fourth-most overall wins among modern-day pro football owners with 354 victories. It’s time to get Mr. B to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Losers

Bradley Roby

We knew Denver’s cornerback would make an appearance at some point. He did that on Cody Core’s 30-yard touchdown catch. Roby was just atrocious all the way around on that play.

Injuries

The loss of Harris, Wolfe and Josey Jewell didn’t have a negative impact on Sunday’s game, thankfully, but can it carry over? The Broncos have been hit with some serious injuries this season, but it doesn’t faze them. Hopefully that theme carries over the last quarter of the season.

The officiating

Ron Torbert and his crew were brutal in Denver’s Week Three loss to the Baltimore Ravens. So at least Torbert is consistent. This late in the season, officiating should not be an issue, yet we continue to see the same bullshit we’ve seen since the preseason. The officials still have no idea what the helmet-to-helmet rules are, and that tells me the NFL has given no leadership to resolve the issue. But even worse than that is that the calls on the field in general are horrible.