Denver destroyed Cincinnati 28-3 on Monday Night Football at Empower Field at Mile High. This wasn’t close after the first quarter. Bo Nix threw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns, J.K. Dobbins rushed for 101 yards to end a 38-game drought, and Courtland Sutton made clutch catches including a gorgeous touchdown grab before halftime. The Broncos defense held the Bengals to 159 total yards on September 29, 2025. Cincinnati crossed midfield once after their opening drive.
Table of Contents
Complete Game Statistics
| Category | Cincinnati Bengals | Denver Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 3 | 28 |
| Total Yards | 159 | 512 |
| First Downs | 9 | 29 |
| Passing Yards | 106 | 326 |
| Rushing Yards | 53 | 186 |
| Third Down | 2/11 (18%) | 8/14 (57%) |
| Time of Possession | 22:02 | 37:58 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
Quarterback Performance
| Stat | Jake Browning (CIN) | Bo Nix (DEN) |
|---|---|---|
| Completions/Attempts | 14/25 | 29/42 |
| Completion % | 56.0% | 69.0% |
| Passing Yards | 125 | 326 |
| Touchdowns | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks Taken | 3 (19 yards) | 0 |
| Passer Rating | 69.6 | 97.9 |
| Yards per Attempt | 5.0 | 7.8 |
| Avg Depth of Target | 8.0 | 6.3 |
Nix carved up Cincinnati’s secondary, recording career highs in both yards and completions while spreading the ball to 10 different receivers. His 7.8 yards per attempt confirms he wasn’t just checking down.
Nix posted +0.28 Expected Points Added per passing play, ranking in the 75th percentile for Week 4 quarterbacks. Browning fell to negative 0.39 EPA per pass, landing in the 4th percentile. That 0.67 EPA gap between quarterbacks explains why this became a blowout. When one QB adds value on every drive while the other bleeds points, games get ugly fast.
Is Jake Browning even a quality NFL backup? That’s the question Cincinnati faces after watching him scrape together just 125 yards while replacing injured Joe Burrow. After the opening field goal drive, official NFL coverage tracked Browning at just 37 yards the rest of the night.
“Very frustrating loss,” Browning said postgame. “We have to get back to work and figure out how we can be more productive on offense.” More productive would require actual production. Cincinnati’s offense went three-and-out four times after that opening field goal drive.
Running Back Numbers
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Average | TDs | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.K. Dobbins | DEN | 16 | 101 | 6.3 | 0 | 16 |
| RJ Harvey | DEN | 14 | 58 | 4.1 | 0 | 9 |
| Chase Brown | CIN | 10 | 40 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | DEN | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 1 | 16 |
| Bo Nix | DEN | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 1 | 6 |
Denver’s 38-game streak without a 100-yard rusher ended Monday night. Dobbins finally gave Sean Payton what he’s been searching for since 2023. His 6.3 average came against loaded boxes, complemented by a 57.9% rush success rate ranking 8th in the league. The two-back system created personnel conflicts all night. When Cincinnati brought in base defense to stop the run, Harvey would motion out wide creating coverage mismatches. When they stayed in nickel for Harvey’s receiving threat, Dobbins found running room inside.
Rookie RJ Harvey added 58 rushing yards plus 4 catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. If Dobbins stays healthy, Denver makes the playoffs. That’s not a hot take anymore.
Chase Brown tried generating something but faced consistent penetration from Denver’s defensive line. Cincinnati gained only 53 rushing yards, forcing Browning into obvious passing situations where Denver’s pass rush feasted.
Receiving Stats
| Player | Team | Receptions | Targets | Yards | TDs | Long | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtland Sutton | DEN | 5 | 6 | 81 | 1 | 22 | 42 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | DEN | 6 | 6 | 69 | 0 | 28 | 48 |
| Troy Franklin | DEN | 4 | 8 | 55 | 0 | 23 | 28 |
| RJ Harvey | DEN | 4 | 5 | 40 | 1 | 14 | 39 |
| Adam Trautman | DEN | 2 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 26 | 25 |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | 3 | 6 | 32 | 0 | 19 | 6 |
| Chase Brown | CIN | 3 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 12 | 33 |
| Evan Engram | DEN | 4 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 11 | 22 |
| Ja’Marr Chase | CIN | 5 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
Sutton’s 20-yard touchdown catch just before halftime came on a back-shoulder fade against press coverage. Sutton used his 6’4″ frame to shield the defender and pluck the ball at its highest point. The score pushed Denver’s lead to 21-3 and ended this as a competitive contest. His 42 yards after catch highlight his ability to create beyond the reception.
Mims Jr delivered 69 receiving yards plus that explosive 16-yard rushing touchdown on a perfectly designed jet sweep, according to Denver’s official recap. His 48 yards after catch led all Denver receivers. The play happened fast: Nix faked the handoff, pulled it back, handed to Mims coming across, Pat Bryant threw a key edge block, and Mims hit the jets for six.
Ja’Marr Chase totaled just 23 yards on 5 catches, getting blanketed by Pat Surtain II who shadowed him throughout the game. Surtain allowed one reception for 8 yards across 13 coverage matchups, including zero catches in 10 man coverage attempts when matched up one-on-one.
Chase was visibly frustrated on the sideline during the second half, a moment that became a major talking point postgame. Head coach Zac Taylor defended his star receiver, saying “Ja’Marr, coming off a game like this, is one of my favorite players to deal with, quite frankly, because he’s just competitive. He just wants to win.”
Competitiveness doesn’t show up on the stat sheet when an elite cornerback erases you from the game.
Defense and Pass Rush
Tackle Leaders
| Player | Team | Total | Solo | Assists | TFL | Sacks | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Singleton | DEN | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | CIN | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Geno Stone | CIN | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CIN | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pass Rush Production
| Player | Team | Sacks | QB Hits | Hurries | Pressures | Pressure % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nik Bonitto | DEN | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 21.1% |
| John Franklin-Myers | DEN | 1.0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 26.7% |
| Jonathon Cooper | DEN | 0.5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 23.5% |
| Joseph Ossai | CIN | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12.9% |
“First and foremost, I wouldn’t have been in that position to make that catch without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Demetrius Knight Jr said after his first career interception. “It’s still early. We’re not defeated yet. We’re just going back to the drawing board.”
Cincinnati’s drawing board needs answers across multiple positions. That’s not a one-week fix.
Bonitto added 1.5 sacks to bring his season total to 4.5 through four games. That pace equals 19 sacks over a full season, which would break Von Miller’s franchise record of 18.5 from 2012. The contract extension Denver gave him already looks like highway robbery.
Denver’s front four generated nine pressures and three sacks using just four rushers. Vance Joseph called only four blitzes all game. According to PFF’s advanced metrics, Denver’s pass rush win rate topped 40% Monday night, an elite mark that explains Cincinnati’s struggles.
Check Pro Football Reference for complete snap counts.
How the Game Unfolded
Cincinnati opened strong. Browning completed 5 of 7 passes for 43 yards on a 12-play, 62-yard drive ending with Evan McPherson’s 26-yard field goal. The Bengals led 3-0. They looked competent. Then reality arrived.
Denver’s defense clamped down. Cincinnati didn’t cross midfield again. Not once. The Bengals finished with more punts (8) than first downs (9).
When did this game get put away? Right here: Denver went ahead 14-3 when Mims Jr took that jet sweep 16 yards for a touchdown. The play design was brilliant, execution perfect, with Pat Bryant’s edge block creating the lane Mims needed to reach the end zone.
Just before halftime, Denver delivered the knockout. Starting from their own 20 with 1:09 left, Nix led a 9-play, 80-yard drive in 61 seconds. He hit Mims for 28 yards, then lofted a perfect fade to Sutton with eight seconds remaining. The lead ballooned to 21-3 at the break. Game over.
Harvey added a 12-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to complete the beatdown.
Situational Football
Third Down: Denver 8/14 (57%), Cincinnati 2/11 (18%)
Red Zone: Denver 3 TDs in 4 attempts (75%), Cincinnati 1 FG in 1 attempt (100%)
Want to know why Denver won by 25 points? Start with third down. The Broncos converted 57%, keeping drives alive and possessing the ball for nearly 38 minutes. Cincinnati went 2 for 11, killing any chance of sustaining drives.
Denver scored touchdowns on three of four red zone trips. Cincinnati reached the red zone exactly once. When you only get one scoring opportunity inside the 20, winning becomes impossible.
Garett Bolles shut down Trey Hendrickson, last season’s sack leader, who finished with zero sacks. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s offensive line allowed constant pressure and three sacks, repeatedly putting Browning under duress.
What This Means
Denver improved to 2-2 with its second straight win. The offense found its identity through balanced play calling. Dobbins gave them legitimate ground game that opens everything in Payton’s playbook. The defense leads the league with 15 sacks through four games.
Cincinnati dropped to 2-2 with consecutive losses. The problems run deeper than missing Joe Burrow. The offensive line can’t protect. The running game generates no push.
“We never created any momentum for ourselves,” Taylor said postgame, per Cincinnati’s official recap. “We had some procedural penalties. When we did get some momentum, it put us in first-and-15.”
The 11 penalties for 65 yards killed Cincinnati before Denver’s defense even got involved.
Can the Bengals tread water until Burrow returns? Based on Monday night, that answer looks like a hard no. The defense held up decently in the second half, allowing just 7 points. But the offense couldn’t do anything.
Denver faces defending champion Philadelphia next Sunday on short rest. That’s the real test of whether this offense can maintain production against elite competition. Beat the Eagles, and Denver’s back in the playoff conversation.
For comprehensive player performance tracking across every game this season, visit Match VS Player Stats to compare stats from all NFL matchups.
The Verdict
Denver controlled every phase Monday night. The offensive line won at the point of attack. The defense suffocated Cincinnati. The Broncos converted 8 of 14 third downs while Cincinnati went 2 for 11. Denver scored touchdowns on three of four red zone trips while Cincinnati’s only score came from one field goal. Nix’s 326 yards set a career high. Dobbins’ 101 yards ended a drought stretching back to 2022. Monday’s final statistics reveal a team hitting its stride while their opponent searches desperately for answers.
