Bengals-Broncos on Monday night: What We Learned from Denver's 28-3 win over Cincinnati 

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1. Denver's offense steamrolls Cincinnati. Sean Payton knows he'll have to deal with some tumultuous moments with second-year quarterback Bo Nix, but that didn't stop him from loading up the Broncos' entire stock of ammunition and ordering them to fire. Nix embodied the gunslinger role Monday night, completing 29 of 42 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, and although he threw an ugly (and likely avoidable) interception in the end zone, that didn't overshadow the explosive night. Denver cleared 500 yards in the final two minutes of this game, rode a fantastic rushing night from J.K. Dobbins (16 carries, 101 yards), dialed up play-action off Dobbins' successes and torched the Bengals in a gleeful showing. Everybody got involved: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Evan Engram and RJ Harvey each recorded at least four receptions. Payton had his full arsenal at his disposal and let it rip in front of a national audience, moving the Broncos back to .500 with plenty of emphasis.
2. The Bengals are in a bad place. The loss of Joe Burrow didn't torpedo the Bengals' chances of starting 2-0, but in the two weeks since, Cincinnati has resembled a sinking ship. The Bengals' offense packs zero punch without Burrow, their offensive line can't protect Jake Browning, the running game isn't consistent or leaned on frequently enough to take any pressure off Browning, and their passing game has generally been reduced to taking sideline shots to Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins and hoping they win the 50-50 battles. On Monday night, even when they won those battles, they were often negated by penalties, another glaring issue with these Bengals. Cincinnati had 11 penalties accepted against it for 65 yards, highlighting operational dysfunction and constantly putting it behind schedule. It's clear the Bengals have little hope of moving the ball, especially against aggressive, carefree defenses like Denver's, and the frustration is starting to show in expressions of players like Chase. The glow of that 2-0 start has evaporated quickly, and it's hard to find the light of hope right now for this team.
3. Denver's running game is legitimate. J.K. Dobbins had a strong year with the Chargers in 2024 but once again encountered the injury bug that has harassed him for most of his career. Although we're only a month into the season, Dobbins looks even stronger in Denver than he did in Los Angeles. Dobbins entered Monday night averaging 5.4 yards per carry -- the best mark since his 2022 season, an eight-game campaign shortened by injury -- and improved that mark, finishing with 101 yards on 16 carries, nearly half his season total (222 yards) entering Week 4 and becoming the first rusher to break 100 yards for the Broncos under Sean Payton. He's not the sole contributor in this attack, either. After two quiet outings, rookie RJ Harvey put together a versatile night, rushing 14 times for 58 yards and chipping in four catches for 40 yards and a receiving score. The two backs accounted for 199 of Denver's 512 yards of total offense, powering a multitalented, dynamic attack by dominating first on the ground and empowering Payton to dial up plenty of play-action (26% of Nix's attempts). This is Payton's sweet spot, and if the Broncos can count on their running game consistently, the Broncos will raise their ceiling quickly.
4. Cincinnati needs to fix its offensive line soon. The Bengals' offensive line has long been justifiably perceived as a weakness, but the unit might have reached a new low point Monday night. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is typically eager to dial up blitzes, yet he didn't feel the need to do so against the Bengals because he believed the Broncos would generate plenty of pressure with base rushes. The numbers proved it. Denver blitzed Browning on just 4 of 29 dropbacks (13.8%), the second-lowest blitz rate in a game under Joseph (which dates back to the start of the 2023 season). The Broncos generated nine pressures and three sacks with four or fewer rushers. That is simply unacceptable in the NFL and will spell more offensive pain going forward. If Cincinnati wants to lift itself off the mat with plenty of season left to play, it will start in the trenches. The front five need to be better in order to give Browning a fighting chance.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Bengals-Broncos (via NFL Pro): Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II allowed just a single reception for 8 yards on three targets across 13 matchups against Ja’Marr Chase, including zero receptions on 10 matchups in man coverage.

NFL Research: Ja'Marr Chase was held to 23 receiving yards Monday night, the fourth fewest in a game in his career. Two of Chase's four lowest yardage totals in his career have come against the Broncos.