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The playoff picture will begin to clear up in the coming weeks,
but for Denver and Cincinnati, it will be more immediate. The
teams meet Sunday, with the winner solidifying its hold on a
playoff spot and the loser needing a late-season run to stay
alive.
The Broncos (7-6) and Bengals (7-6) are two of the five AFC
teams to hold those records after 14 weeks of football.
Cincinnati is in a better position within the AFC North, sitting
one game back of the Baltimore Ravens despite losing its last
two games.
The Bengals are coming off two straight disappointing home
losses, the last one in overtime when San Francisco scored a
touchdown following a Cincinnati field goal.
The Bengals have a tough finish to the season with all four
opponents holding winning records while players are nursing
minor injuries. Quarterback Joe Burrow didn't practice
Wednesday, and the injury report lists a right finger injury,
but it shouldn't prevent him from playing.
"It's good; good enough," Burrow told reporters on Wednesday.
"Good enough to play."
Several other players didn't practice Wednesday but the only one
who is in danger of not taking the field in Denver on Sunday is
offensive tackle Riley Reiff, who is dealing with an ankle
injury. Clark Harris, Trey Hill and Trey Hopkins didn't practice
due to illness.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who dealt with back spasms last
Sunday, didn't practice Wednesday but has not been ruled out for
Sunday.
The Broncos have bounced back from a four-game losing streak to
put themselves in the hunt for their first playoff spot since
winning Super Bowl 50 six seasons ago.
Several Denver players sat out practice, but coach Vic Fangio
didn't sound worried about their statuses for Sunday. One who is
questionable is Dre'Mont Jones, who is dealing with a foot
injury.
"If we had to list him today, I'd say he was questionable, and
it's truly 50-50," Fangio said Wednesday.
Wide receiver Tim Patrick hurt his finger in the win over
Detroit last week but was a full participant in Wednesday's
practice.
The Broncos' recent surge has come with a more effective running
game that has developed into a two-headed beast. Javonte
Williams leads the team with 743 rushing yards in 13 games and
Melvin Gordon III is right behind with 716 in 12 games.
Gordon's one-game absence seemed to refill his tank. He has put
together back-to-back strong outings. Fangio said using both
could help keep the running backs fresh for the stretch run.
"I think so. Obviously, Javonte had a bunch of touches the week
before," he said. "Melvin came back this week. Melvin was
running (well), so we left him in there. He got more than
Javonte did, which probably -- coming off of the previous game
now -- allows us to have good freedom going into this game."
It also takes pressure off quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who
has thrown just 43 passes in Denver's last two wins.
--Field Level Media
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