Here are 5 things to know about one of the rarest wins in franchise history:
Weak return for Burfict
After playing middle linebacker the last three games – or two and a half if you factor in last week’s ejection – Vontaze Burfict returned to his regular weakside spot Sunday with a strong performance in the win.
Burfict recorded 12 tackles, one shy of his season high, with a sack and a forced fumble.
“It was what he needed to do,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said of Burfict. ‘Settle down and play 60 minutes of football.”
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The sack, one of three the Bengals registered against Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler, came on the first play after the two-minute warning in the first half with the Broncos at the Cincinnati 45, forcing a punt.
The forced fumble came with the Bengals clinging to a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Burfict’s hit on Denver running back C.J. Anderson popped the ball free, and safety Shawn Williams recovered it at the Broncos 44.
Six plays later, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton hit A.J. Green for an 18-yard touchdown that boosted the lead to 20-10 with 8:56 to go.
Record return
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick made NFL history Sunday. He wishes that wasn’t the case.
Kirkpatrick’s 101-yard interception return was the longest one ever that did not result in a touchdown. The only reason it didn’t produce points is because he dropped the ball while looking back to see if anyone was gaining on him.
“They were coming from both ends.” Kirkpatrick said. (Emmanuel) Sanders and (Demaryius) Thomas were coming. I tried to catch the ball and I thought they poked it out. I have to hold on to the ball. I didn’t know where they were at, it was just an act of the moment. I have to hold on to the ball, no excuses for it. I have to put that in.”
›› Boyd returns to action while Jackson forced to sit
After losing control of the ball at the 11, Kirkpatrick was able to recover the fumble at the 1, and the Bengals scored the first points of the game three plays later when Andy Dalton hit Tyler Kroft for his first of three touchdown passes.
It was Kirkpatrick's first interception of the season and 10th of his career, three of which have come against the Broncos. Had he held on to the ball and reached the end zone, it would have been his third career pick-6 and second against Denver.
Kkrkpatrick returned a Peyton Manning interception 30 yards for a touchdown in a 38-27 Bengals win in 2014.
Playoff possibility
Sunday’s win coupled with Buffalo’s loss to the Chargers means the Bengals are just one game out of the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff race.
“We’ve got to keep playing,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “I showed them that a year ago, we were in a situation where someone was going to get hot and break out of things. Last year it was Green Bay. They ran the table, and this year it’s going to be somebody else.”
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If the season ended today, Baltimore would be the No. 6 seed at 5-5. Buffalo, whom the Bengals own the tiebreaker with by virtue of their 20-16 win Oct. 8, also sits 5-5, while Cincinnati is one of six teams at 4-6.
“There are a lot of teams in the situation we were in starting today and teams are going to get hot and get going,” Lewis said. “We play some of them and they play each other. So we have an opportunity if we just handle our business, that’s what’s key.”
The Bengals play four of their final six at home, including the next three in a row, starting Sunday when winless Cleveland visits Paul Brown Stadium.
Rare result
The offensive struggles continued for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Denver, but the team still found a way to pull out the win.
The Broncos outgained the Bengals 341 to 190, making for an extremely rare victory.
Cincinnati had been just 3-56 in the last 59 games in which the offense was held to 195 or fewer yards. Two of losses came in the last four weeks – 29-14 at Pittsburgh when the Bengals had 179 yards on Oct. 22, and 23-7 at Jacksonville when they gained 148 on Nov. 5.
The last time the Bengals won with 195 or fewer yards was in the 2012 season finale against Baltimore when both teams rested their starters and Cincinnati scored a 23-17 triumph with just 189 yards.
Winning despite being outgained by at least 151 yards also has been rare, with the Bengals going 6-69.
Denver drought done
The Bengals won in Denver to end their longest active losing streak in any NFL city.
The Bengals hadn’t won in Denver since 1975, going 0-10 during that stretch, and they were 2-13 there all-time.
With that losing streak snapped, the team’s longest active dry spell now resides in Indianapolis, where the Bengals have lost eight in a row since 1998.
The last Bengals road win against the Colts was a 28-13 triumph in 1997, when Boomer Esiason threw two touchdown passes in relief of Jeff Blake as Cincinnati improved to 3-7 while Indianapolis fell to 0-10.
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