The Denver Broncos were dealt a crushing loss in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The first half of the game between the two 7-6 teams lacked excitement and the Bengals took a 6-3 lead into halftime. But the game really picked up once Denver starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was forced to leave the game with a scary injury.
Drew Lock came on in relief and threw a touchdown pass to Tim Patrick. The 25-yard toss was the first touchdown either team scored in the game. It seemed that the Broncos had seized momentum and were going to rally behind their fallen leader.
But not to be deterred, Joe Burrow hit Tyler Boyd with a 56-yard touchdown pass mere moments later. It left the crowd at Empower Field stunned and put the Broncos in come-from-behind mode again.
Lock took his team down the field again and got the Broncos inside the Bengals’ 10-yard line. Then came the turning point in the game.
Facing a 2nd-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Lock had the ball ripped out of his arms by Khalid Kareem. After falling to the ground, Kareem bounced up and raced the other way only to have Lock come from behind and strip it back from him, which the Broncos recovered.
But upon further review, it was determined that Kareem was down by contact and the Bengals were able to take over possession of the ball.
The Broncos had a couple more possessions after that, but a drop by Courtland Sutton on a key third-down play later in the quarter, on a ball that wasn’t thrown well by Lock either, sealed the Broncos’ fate.
With the loss, the Broncos drop to 7-7 on the year and their push for a Wild Card spot will now move to a code red situation. Losing to the Bengals, who now improve to 8-6, along with wins by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, pushes the Broncos further down the ladder.
Lock finished the game by completing half of his passes (6 of 12) for 88 yards and the touchdown. The team will wait for further reports on Bridgewater, who left the field on a cart before being taken to a medical facility.
The Broncos will return to the field the day after Christmas when they go back on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders.