Broncos at Bengals: Highlights, score and recap
By James Dudko
Trevor Siemian came up big when needed to help the Denver Broncos beat the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 3. Siemian’s four touchdown passes helped the Broncos win 29-17 at Paul Brown Stadium.
Cincinnati appeared in control with a 14-10 second-quarter lead. Jeremy Hill had scored twice on the ground to cancel out Emmanuel Sander’s touchdown catch and a Brandon McManus field goal.
But a second scoring grab by the elusive Sanders put the Broncos back in front. It was only a two-point lead, though, after Margus Hunt blocked the extra point.
Undeterred, the Broncos came out for the second half the better-adjusted team. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips tweaked things up front, and saw his unit begin to swarm on Hill. The pass rush also began to get home, as well, with a stand-in outside linebacker winning off the edge.
Mike Nugent initially put the Bengals back in front with a field goal, but his kick was merely the cue for Siemian to take over.
Siemian led a clock-eating drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters and ended with backup tight end John Phillips catching a 1-yarder. Two drives later, Siemian beat pressure to send Demaryius Thomas free from 55 yards to effectively seal the win.
Highlights
Three Stars
1. Shane Ray, OLB, Denver Broncos
Denver can usually count on a terrific pass rush, but their ability to swarm on the pocket figured to take a blow when DeMarcus Ware was ruled out with injury. Instead, the Broncos got a reminder for why they used a first-round pick on Shane Ray in the 2015 NFL draft.
The second-year edge-rusher got to Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton three times. He was a menace off the left side, consistently frustrating Cincinnati’s best blocker, tackle Andrew Whitworth.
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This is what the Broncos were hoping for from Ray. Namely enough talent and production to ensure Phillips’ scheme isn’t wrecked by missing one of Ware or Von Miller.
Based on this showing, Denver’s defensive mastermind has one more weapon to frighten the daylights out of quarterbacks.
2. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos
Sanders might be the most quarterback-friendly wide receiver in football. Seriously. Just get the ball to Denver’s No. 10 anywhere on the field with any kind of throw, and he’ll turn it into a positive play.
Nine catches for 117 yards and a pair of touchdowns reaffirmed Sanders’ credentials as the best receiver on the Broncos roster.
Sanders spent most of Sunday turning quick screens into solid yardage or taking the top off the Cincy secondary. He did the latter for his 41-yard scoring catch in the second quarter.
ESPN Stats & Info detailed how much the former Pittsburgh Steelers man loves tormenting these Bengals:
3. Trevor Siemian
Don’t underestimate the pressure Siemian was under in Week 3, despite his team’s 2-0 start. Denver’s receivers had publicly made clear how they wanted more of the ball.
Well, the 2015 seventh-round pick who is a first-year starter answered those calls. Both Sanders and Thomas tallied triple digits worth of receiving yardage.
The fact Siemian produced such a stunning display of aerial pyrotechnics against a pretty handy Bengals defense was particularly impressive.
But more than numbers, it was his poise in clutch moments that really caught the eye. Clutch was the word for Siemian on the marathon march leading to his third TD pass. He stood tall in the pocket, made quick reads and delivered on the money downs.
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He was just as cool under pressure when beating the blitz on the bomb to Thomas.
From a young player in football’s most scrutinized position, it doesn’t get much better than this.