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At the beginning of the season, a Week 11 matchup between the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals looked like a potential AFC playoff preview. Now, it’s simply a game between two teams that are 3-6 and trying desperately to put an end to recent struggles.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET and will be broadcast in select markets on CBS. When looking for a live stream, the first thing you want to do is to find out if the game is in your market or not, which you can do by checking a coverage map here.
If the game is in your market, you can watch on your computer or on another streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch today’s game at no cost:
CBS All Access: This service lets you watch a live stream of your local CBS channel (most markets included) for $5.99 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the CBS app
FuboTV: CBS (live in at least 20 markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which gives you access to 70-plus channels and costs $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It also comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
If the game isn’t in your market, you may be able to watch via NFL Sunday Ticket.
Preview & Prediction
This game has the fourth-lowest over/under (39) of the week, which isn’t all that surprising considering how both offenses are playing.
During their current five-game losing streak, the Broncos have churned out five offensive touchdowns, 15 turnovers and 15 sacks allowed. Yuck. The Bengals, meanwhile, have struggled all year behind a shaky offensive line, ranking 25th in sacks allowed percentage, 31st in yards per carry and dead last in rushing yards per game.
Put it all together, and the Bengals and Broncos rank 24th and 25th, respectively, in Football Outsiders’ offensive efficiency rankings, which even may still be a bit generous.
Separating two teams that are struggling so immensely on the offensive side of the ball can be difficult, but there are a few other important factors to consider here. First, the Broncos defense is still good. They’ve given up a ludicrous 121 points over the last three weeks, but part of that has been facing three of the most explosive offenses in the league (Kansas City, Philadelphia, New England), and part of it is the offense putting them in bad positions, as they’ve allowed just 5.65 yards per play during those games, which isn’t great, but also isn’t as anemic as the point totals make you think.
Ultimately, this is still a really good defensive line–third in Football Outsiders’ run D rankings and 10th in adjusted sack rate–that should give the Bengals’ inconsistent O-line a lot of problems, and a good secondary that should help keep AJ Green in check.
Second, home-field advantage. Not only are the Broncos 3-2 at home compared to 0-4 on the road, but they’ve won their last nine games on the second half of a home-and-home back-to-back, as this game will be. The Bengals, on the other hand, are 1-4 on the road and will be playing their third straight game away from home, a potential recipe for sloppy play.
The struggling offenses should make this a relatively close game, but ultimately there’s enough in Denver’s favor to help the Broncos break their current losing skid.
Prediction: Broncos 23, Bengals 17
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