The Bengals defense did a good job of stopping the Broncos at the end of the first quarter, but a special teams miscue has helped them lose an early lead at home.
Adam Jones fumbled on a hit by Broncos linebacker Zaire Anderson while returning a punt after the defense forced a three-and-out and Shiloh Keo recovered to give Denver the ball in Cincinnati territory. Trevor Siemian hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 41-yard touchdown a few plays later for the first Broncos touchdown of the day and a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Sanders’ score came with Jones in coverage, so it wasn’t the best stretch for the Bengals cornerback. On the negative side for the Broncos, left tackle Russell Okung left with a back injury. Michael Schofield is at left tackle while Ty Sambrailo plays on the right with Donald Stephenson ruled out before the game due to a calf injury.
The Bengals grabbed an early lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Hill that he set up with a 50-yard sprint through the Broncos defense. Hill was quiet in the first two weeks of the season, but has 76 yards on eight carries so far on Sunday.