Cincinnati is a three-point favourite to win on the NFL odds.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The league left open three spots on Saturday in Week 17 to be filled with games “flexed” from Sunday and the choices were Chargers-Patriots at 1 p.m. ET, this Broncos-Bengals matchup at 4:30 and Cardinals-Rams at 8 ET. Only New England and Arizona are out of the playoff chase among those six clubs.

It’s the home finale for Cincinnati and maybe the finale at Paycor Stadium for coach Zac Taylor as he might be in some trouble if the team misses the playoffs for the second straight season as is likely. The problem under Taylor has been slow starts out of the gate. He probably will be back next season simply as the Bengals are a rather frugal organization and don’t like paying guys not to play or coach. But defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, with the team since 2019, probably is a fall guy for the disappointing season. His unit has been the biggest problem by far. But the Bengals are still alive for a wild-card spot. It’s just very unlikely they get it.

It has been a successful season no matter what happens the rest of the way for the Broncos as they already have their first winning campaign since 2016 and look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015, which is the last time they won the Super Bowl. Coach Sean Payton found his QB of the future in the 2024 draft with Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick. He probably finishes second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. If Denver still needs a win in Week 18 for the playoffs, it hosts Kansas City. That’s not obviously ideal, but the Chiefs might be locked into the AFC’s top seed and rest starters.

It’s the 34th all-time matchup between these franchises, all in the regular season, and Denver leads 22-11. They haven’t played since 2021.

Denver Broncos

Denver could have clinched a playoff spot with a victory at the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday in Week 16 and that looked pretty good with the Broncos up 24-13 late in the third quarter, but they lost 34-27 and lost a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker with L.A., which swept the season series. As long as the Broncos either win here or Week 18 vs. Kansas City, they will be in. Denver scored 21 points on its first three drives against the Chargers and just six points on the final seven. Across those first three drives, Denver’s offence posted 219 yards and 15 first downs while averaging 7.8 yards per play and converting all three of its third-down attempts. Over the Broncos’ final seven possessions, they totalled only 136 yards and seven first downs. For whatever reason, Coach Sean Payton seemed to abandon the run as the team ran the ball only 14 times after its opening drive, including just eight times in the second half. That dropped the Broncos to 1-6 vs. teams currently with a winning record compared to 8-0 vs .500 or worse clubs. Denver is 5-1 ATS in its past six.

Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati kept its slim AFC wild-card hopes alive with a third straight win Sunday, 24-6 over Cleveland. If the Bengals had a winning record, Joe Burrow would likely be the MVP favourite as he had a seventh straight game with at least three TD passes. That’s tied for the NFL’s longest such streak since the merger, while Burrow’s seven-game streak with at least 250 passing yards and three scores is the longest ever. WR Ja’Marr Chase caught six passes for 97 yards and a TD and became the fifth player in league history with at least 100 catches, 1,500 yards and 15 receiving TDs in a season. Chase’s 1,510 yards broke his own team record of 1,455 from his rookie year in 2021. He is one touchdown shy of matching Carl Pickens’ 17-touchdown team record total in 1995 and five receptions from breaking T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s mark of 112 set in 2007. Cincinnati must win out, have Denver lose out and both Miami and Indianapolis lose at least one more game each to earn a playoff spot. The Bengals are 5-2 ATS in their past seven games.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Broncos vs. Bengals?