Denver Broncos Vs Cincinnati Bengals Preview, Predictions, Betting Odds, Live Stream Info

Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Denver Broncos in a battle of two of the best teams in the AFC on Monday. The Broncos (11-3) enter this one with a chance to clinch a first-round bye and to remain in the hunt for the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a win. On the other side, the Bengals (9-4-1) need a victory to guarantee themselves they will enter Week 17 in first place in the AFC North, as the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers currently are just a half-game back.

Details for Monday’s game are below:

Date: Dec. 22, 2014
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Stadium: Paul Brown Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: For Broncos, click here. For Bengals, click here.
Ticket information: For Broncos ticket info, click here. For Bengals ticket info, click here

Keys to Victory

Undoubtedly the Broncos are going to pass the ball plenty with Peyton Manning and their lethal passing attack, but they should go with a heavier run attack than usual on Monday. The Bengals rank 24th in rushing yards allowed per game, opening up the possibility for a big day from Broncos running back C.J. Anderson. Defensively, Denver needs to heavily pressure Andy Dalton. The Bengals quarterback is terrible when being rushed and Denver could force a few easy turnovers with heavy pressure.

For the Bengals, they’ll need to try to control this clock and use a run-heavy attack. The Broncos rank second in rushing yards allowed per game, but Cincy needs to hope Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard can overcome this. The Bengals simply can’t win this game if they try to have Dalton go tit-for-tat with Manning. Cincinnati needs to win this by shortening the game. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals need to key in on stopping Demaryius Thomas. He’s having a monster season and if the Bengals are going to slow down Manning at all, Thomas is the place to start.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Broncos (-3)

Moneyline: DEN: -165, CIN: +145

O/U: 47.5

Prediction

The Broncos should come away with a crucial win here. Expect Denver to topple the Bengals by using  a balanced offensive attack and making life difficult for Andy Dalton and Co. on the other side of the ball.