The Cincinnati Bengals put on a masterclass in how to coach poor situational football against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in a game they needed to win to stay alive in the postseason. As the Bengals marched for what seemed like a game-winning drive, their execution was so bad that it got running back Chase Brown hurt.
Cincinnati was trying to run time off the clock after getting the ball down to the Broncos' red zone. This means pounding the rock with Brown.
As Brown tried to stop himself in bounds, his leg bent back at an awkward angle. Brown was subsequently taken out of the game. Not only was Brown hurt, but the Broncos didn't even have to use their final time out after play was stopped to attend to him. He was ruled out with an ankle injury.
In an even more baffling move that makes head coach Zac Taylor's decision-making, the Bengals chose not to run the clock down after Denver was able to keep their final time-out. Burrow managed to sneak in for a one-yard touchdown run that put Cincinnati up 24-17.
Bengals RB Chase Brown injures leg trying to run out clock vs. Bengals
Brown has been on fire since being promoted to the starting lineup. Since Week 4, which is when Brown started to earn the lion's share of snaps and touches in the backfield, the Illinois alum has put up numbers that would put him on pace for over 1,500 yards from scrimmage in a 17-game season.
While the severity of Brown's injury is unknown, playing a must-win Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with either a deactivated or hobbled running back in Brown could be the difference between a competitive showing and a humiliation.
The Bengals' tissue-thin defense came back to haunt them once again. After Nix got the ball back, he led his team down the field for a game-tying drive that finished with a beautiful throw into the end zone that tied the game at 24-24. The Bengals have only themselves to blame for this mess.
Between Brown getting hurt, Taylor taking points off the board multiple times against one of the better defenses in the league, and a terrible second-half showing that made Nix look like John Elway, this has certainly not been a banner night for the Bengals.