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Trevor Siemian makes his road debut as starting quarterback this Sunday when the Broncos visit the Bengals. Denver has played and won their first two games within the friendly confines of Sports Authority Field, but now face a Bengals team looking to get back on track after a loss to Pittsburgh affected by the elements.
For the near future, Denver will be without half of it’s All-Pro linebacking duo. Demarcus Ware broke his forearm last week against the Colts, and after surgery is expected to miss at least four weeks. That’s good news for the Bengals offensive line, which has ranked among the worst in the league after two games.
Here’s the early line for Sunday’s matchup:
Game Info
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Line: Cincinnati (-3.5)
Moneyline: Cincinnati (-160), Denver (+140)
Over/Under: 41
What To Watch For
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Without Demarcus Ware, the Bengals can focus more of their attention on Von Miller. The Super Bowl MVP has been excellent in the first two games, including a strip/sack of Andrew Luck last week to seal his team’s victory. Cincinnati’s line has surrendered eight sacks so far this season, and the offense is averaging less than three yards per carry.
While the Broncos will try to pound the ball with CJ Anderson, the Bengals have leaned on Andy Dalton through two games. Dalton is averaging 366 yards per game, but only has two touchdowns to show for his work. The Broncos have been successful in the running game, but Trevor Siemian has done enough to keep the offense balanced.
Siemian may not have to do much in Sunday’s matchup. Although the Bengals are the home team and favored, the numbers lean towards a Broncos advantage. The Bengals have been terrible on third down (26%) so far this season, and are allowing 4.2 yards per carry. The defense is that the Bengals have opened the season on the road against two tough teams that excel at running the ball in the Jets and Steelers, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if the Bengals were listed at -4.5 by Sunday.