Broncos vs. Bengals will be much different than last season

The Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals have played in a pair of epic Monday Night Football matches in the last two seasons. In Week 16 of 2014, Cincy picked of Peyton Manning four times in the victory. In Week 16 of last season, Brock Osweiler overcame a 14-0 point deficit and rallied the Broncos to an overtime victory, clinching them a playoff spot.

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This time around, things are a bit different. Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler are no longer with the Broncos. Andy Dalton is shorthanded with no Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones or Tyler Eifert, the latter being on injured reserve. The last two meetings have been dominated by offenses, but you figure this will be a defensive bout.

For starters, Chris Harris Jr. should be able to take care of A.J. Green. He was shut down by the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, which isn’t typically one of the NFL’s best. He had just two catches for 38 yards in the loss. So who is Dalton throwing too without Eifert and Green?

You can expect Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill a lot in the back field. But will the Bengals get the ground game going?

But on the flip side, Trevor Siemian has looked like your typical game manager, but he hasn’t been necessarily great. The Broncos offensive line will face a dangerous defensive line led by Geno Atkins, Rey Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict. Adam Jones can be a tough matchup for Demaryius Thomas, so the Broncos offense is also in for a tough match.

This is becoming a fun, budding rivalry. Two AFC powerhouses clashing for the third-straight season. But it could be a battle of the great defenses in this one.

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