The date and time for the Week 17 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos has been officially set by the NFL. The two teams will play on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 4:30 pm E.T. at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
The Bengals and Broncos will play on Saturday afternoon in Week 17
The game between the Bengals and Broncos will be part of a triple-header set to air on NFL Network that will also include a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots and one between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. The battle between the Chargers and Patriots will be the first game of the day, followed by Bengals/Broncos and then Rams/Cardinals.
Just in: The Week 17 Saturday triple-header:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 17, 2024
- 1:00 ET: Chargers at Patriots
- 4:30 ET: Broncos at Bengals
- 8:15 ET: Cardinals at Rams pic.twitter.com/z0oHU4Dd41
The matchup between the Bengals and Broncos is the most intriguing of the three, as there could be major playoff implications on the line. The Bengals need to win their final three games if they want any hope of qualifying for postseason play, and they'll also need plenty of outside help.
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In addition to winning out, Cincinnati also needs either the Broncos or Chargers to lose all of their remaining games, and they need the Colts and Dolphins to lose at least one of their remaining games.
The Broncos and Chargers will meet on Thursday Night Football this week in a matchup that Bengals fans will absolutely want to pay attention to. The Bengals will need the loser of that contest to also lose their final two games. If that's the Broncos, then the game against Denver in Week 17 will be pivotal.
Here's a quick look at what the Bengals would need to happen if the Chargers beat the Broncos on TNF, via the team's website:
"If the Chargers beat the Broncos, the Bengals would need Denver to lose its remaining two games, one of which is in Cincinnati. Denver then hosts Kansas City in Week 18. A loss would see the Broncos finish the year at 9-8, but the Bengals would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over them to clinch the last spot. The Broncos are currently underdogs in both games."
So, there you have it. The game against the Broncos will be important for the Bengals either way as they'll need a win, but if the Broncos lose to the Chargers this week, the game will take on a whole new level of importance, for both teams.
But, this all hinges on the Bengals winning in Week 16. So, before they can even worry about the Broncos and the magnitude of that game, they first have to take care of the Cleveland Browns this weekend.