The Denver Broncos are back home for their Week 4 matchup against the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football following a two-week road trip debacle. Denver lost back-to-back games in Weeks 2 and 3 against two AFC Conference opponents: the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers in heartbreaking fashion, specifically in last-second game-ending field goals.
They lost those two games by a combined total of 4 points. Ahead of Week 4, those two teams that defeated the Broncos are undefeated; they have not lost against bad teams despite the fact that Denver could have won both.
It is important to turn the page, learn from those losses, and bounce back, especially at home on National Television against a conference opponent without their starting quarterback and first-round Draft pick. The crowd and home-field advantage will be key for Denver in a must-win Week 4 Monday Night Football showdown. This will be the fifth matchup between the Broncos and Bengals; Cincy has won 3. The last Broncos dub against them was in 2018. It will be a great chance for Denver to be back in a 0.500 record to close out a historically bad month of September in terms of record for head coach Sean Payton.
3 keys to victory for the Broncos in Week 4 matchup against the Bengals:
1. Play complimentary and simple football:
Denver has struggled to find a true identity over the first three weeks of the season. In Week 1 against the Titans, the defense was great, but the offense was unable to have continuity and productive drives. In Week 2 against the Colts, the offense had three touchdowns in the first half, but defensively, they allowed over 400 yards. In Week 3 against the Chargers, it was a mixture of both. The offense struggled early in the game, but bounced back in the second half, while the defense was great in the first three quarters but struggled badly in the fourth.
Against an injured team like the Cincinnati Bengals, without their starting quarterback, the Broncos must find rhythm in both sides of the football, playing simple football. They must have a good balance of running and passing the ball to control the game clock and win the game. Defensively, they cannot allow good yardage on first down. They must be concentrated since the beginning of the game to avoid a slow start and manage the clock. They cannot have dumb penalties like the ones they had against the Chargers to win the game.
2. Make Jake Browning's life miserable:
The Bengals' offensive line has allowed 10 sacks in their first three games of the 2025-26 season, tied at fourth-worst in the league. On the other hand, the Denver Broncos' defense leads the NFL in sacks with 12. Regarding pressures, Cincinnati's offensive line has allowed 42 pressures, and Denver has a top-tier defensive line that must take advantage of their struggles at protecting the quarterback.
Jake Browning is a backup quarterback in this league for a reason; he has recently struggled, throwing five interceptions in two one-and-a-half games. The Broncos must take advantage of it. If Nik Bonitto and company can generate pressure on Browning all over the game, they will force him to make bad throws that eventually lead to turnovers. They must be on him for the entire game, making his life miserable. Their poor offensive line play has led to a malfunctioning offense that turned the ball over six times last week against the Minnesota Vikings.
3. Avoid dumb penalties and play clean football:
Denver struggled with penalties on both sides of the ball during their Week 3 AFC West matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Specifically, they had 10 flags for 90 yards last week at SoFi Stadium. Most of them were dumb and avoidable ones, and ended up destroying drives. In their second-to-last drive against the Chargers, still up in the scoreboard by 7 points, tight end Adam Trautman was called for an offsides penalty, and then tackle Garrett Bolles, which ended up costing the game. They could have extended the lead, but instead, Los Angeles tied and won the game in their next two drives.
The Broncos cannot continue to commit dumb penalties, especially against a Bengals team that has struggled in the last game. You cannot give them free yards and plays, which at the end can cost you the game. Denver must play clean football to win on Monday Night Football, which is something they have not been able to do in the last couple of matchups.
The Denver Broncos can bounce back with a home victory in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and finish the month of September with a 2-2 win-loss record if they make these things happen.