Broncos lose overtime thriller 3024 to Bengals; will have to wait until Week 18 to secure a playoff spot
Dec 28, 2024
The wait continues for the Broncos to secure a playoff spot, as the Cincinnati Bengals outlasted Denver in a 30-24 overtime win Saturday in Cincy.A 3-yard touchdown pass from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to receiver Tee Higgins was the difference just minutes after Bengals kicker Cade York had a 33-yard field goal try bounce off the post.Overtime was made possible by a frantic Denver Broncos drive over the final 89 seconds of the game that ended in the second electric touchdown connection from quarterback Bo Nix to receiver Marvin Mims a 25-yard, fourth-down heave to the pylon corralled by Mims with two Bengals on his back.Mims caught a 51-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that tied the game at 17.The fourth quarter and overtime saw several tremendous shifts in momentum. The teams traded touchdowns throughout the final 30 minutes of action. In between Mims's two touchdowns, a one-yard QB sneak by Burrow gave Cincinnati a 24-17 lead with 1:29 to play. Nick Rothschild is having a hard time processing what even happened in that wild game... hear his gut reaction in the video player below: Missed opportunities: Nick's gut reaction to the Broncos heartbreaking OT loss to BengalsThat touchdown came after the teams traded their only turnovers of the game. The Broncos were in prime position to take a lead after Patrick Surtain recovered a Higgins fumble near midfield with just over five minutes to play, but the ensuing drive ended in a Bo Nix interception to set Cincinnati up with a short field and the go-ahead touchdown.Burrow finished with 412 yards on 39-of-49 passing and three touchdowns through the air all to Higgins to go with his rushing score. Nix was 24-of-31 for 219 yards and three touchdowns of his own.The Broncos missed an opportunity to accomplish a remarkable historical coincidence by clinching a playoff spot in Cincinnati. The last time Denver clinched a postseason berth was in 2015, in an overtime win against the Bengals that followed a 34-27 road loss.Denver lost 34-27 last week to the Los Angeles Chargers.The Broncos could've punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win or tie Saturday.***Call the Denver7 Broncos Voicemail Hotline at 303-832-0111 and voice your opinion.Just leave your name and tell us where you are calling from then let us have it. Then look for your message on the Denver7 Facebook page, in one of our newscasts or on any of Denver7s streaming apps.This story will be updated.