• Joe Burrow connected on two more completions, hitting Mike Gesicki for nine yards and a 7-yard pass to Ja’Marr Chase,
• But after getting to 1st-and-goal from the 3, Burrow threw three straight incompletions and the Bengals have to settle for a field goal.
• Cade York kicks a 22-yarder to boost Cincinnati’s lead to 10–3.
• Bengals begin the second half on offense and pick up where they left off to end the first half
• Joe Burrow hits his first two completions, a 15-yard gain to Tee Higgins followed by a 26-yard pass to Andrei Iosivas.
• Total offense: 102 yardsBo Nix: 10-12, 68 yardsJaleel McLaughlin: 2 carries, 21 yards
• Devaughn Vele: 2 catches, 27 yards

Bengals

• Total offense: 162 yardsJoe Burrow: 15-20, 121 yards, 1 TDChase Brown: 13 carries, 45 yardsMike Gesicki: 6 catches, 40 yards
• Tee Higgins: 3 catches, 25 yards, 1 TD
• Denver crosses midfield, but Bo Nix is sacked by Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai on 1st-and-10 from the Cincinnati 45.
• Following the Broncos’ final timeout of the first half, Nix is then sacked again by Cedric Johnson.
• Nix completes a four-yard pass on 3rd-and-23, but time runs out and we’re at the half.
• After coming up empty on their last trip to the Broncos’ goal line, the Bengals get a touchdown this time. Joe Burrow hits Tee Higgins on a two-yard slant route for the score.
• Bengals take a 7–0 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first half.
• Joe Burrow is getting hot to close the second half. He’s connected on three straight completions. First, a 17-yard pass to Andrei Iosivas, followed by an eight-yard throw to Tee Higgins. Burrow then hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 13-yard gain.
• The Bengals are at the Denver 8-yard line as we reach the two-minute warning.
• Working near their own end zone after the Bengals don’t convert a 4th-and-goal, Denver goes 3-and-out after a short pass to Nate Adkins finishes one yard short on 3rd-and-8.
• Cincinnati takes over at its 38 with 4:55 remaining in the first half after a 48-yard punt from Riley Dixon.
• Ja’Marr Chase drops a touchdown catch running an out route on 3rd-and-goal from the 2.
• The Bengals decide to go for it on fourth down, but Joe Burrow is sacked as he tries to move up in the pocket by Jonathan Cooper.
• Cincinnati gets no points to show for a 17-play, 68-yard drive. That’s the second time the Bengals haven’t converted a fourthd
• An eight-yard pass to Mike Gesicki and nine-yard throw to Chase Brown moves the Bengals to the Denver 11-yard line.
• Zach Allen sacks Joe Burrow on 1st-and-10 from the Denver 49-yard line.
• That is Allen’s sixth sack of the year, which is a career-high.
• Mike Gesicki gets a first down for the Bengals after hurdling over Riley Moss.
• Moss appeared to take a knee to the head on the play. NFL Network cameras showed an assistant trainer talking to him as he walked down the field at the end of the first quarter.
• A false start penalty on Quinn Meinerz stalls Denver’s next drive at its 33-yard line. The Broncos gain nine yards on their next three plays, but can’t get the first down.
• Riley Dixon punts 40 yards and the Bengals take over at their 27 after a four-yard return by Isaiah Williams.
• Cincinnati drives to the Broncos’ 22-yard line in the first 10 plays of its opening possession. Chase Brown gains two yards on 3rd-and-3, and Cincinnati goes for it on fourth down.
• But Denver’s Nik Bonitto stuffs Brown on 4th-and-1 and the Bengals turn it over on downs.

Nik Bonitto credited with the 4th down stop.

DPOY stop right there.

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) December 28, 2024

• Denver drives 58 yards in 10 plays on its first possession of the game. The Broncos have to settle for a field goal after Bo Nix throws an incomplete pas on 3rd-and-2 from the Cincinnati 12-yard line.
• Wil Lutz kicks a 30-yarder to give Denver a 3–0 lead.
• Joe Burrow won’t let Patrick Surtain III deter him from throwing at Ja’Marr Chase.
• A 35-yard hit gives the Chargers a 40-7 lead with 3:51 to play in the game.

The Patriots will lose their sixth game in a row. It’s New England’s second six-game losing streak of the season.

For context, the Patriots’ last six-game skid prior to this year came in 1993.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 28, 2024