The Bengals dropped the ball in their last two engagements, including a bruising 26-23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home that shook the Bengals’ confidence and put a muzzle on their boisterous Who Dey celebrations. The Broncos are coming off a commanding 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions, but heaping misery on the league’s established punching bag is de rigueur. It’s hardly the sort of result one can put much stock into. Or is it?

Playoff aspirations are on the line when the 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals and the 7-6 Denver Broncos collide at Mile High, marking Week 15 of the NFL season. Markets opened this game with the Broncos tipped as the 1.5-point home chalk, but since going to press the line has jumped out to 2.5 points with multiple sportsbooks and betting sites.

Joe Burrow’s absence in practice with a finger injury likely prompted the knee-jerk reaction reflected by the sudden move in the NFL spreads. That said, coach Zach Taylor believes the sophomore quarterback will start this Sunday.

Take a look at Bengals vs Broncos odds, injury report, betting lines and more.

Bengals vs. Broncos Key Matchups

Joe Mixon vs. Broncos rush defense: Joe Mixon ranks second in the league with 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Mixon has scampered for over 100 yards three times; once cracking 150 yards (vs. Steelers). Whether he puts up 50 yards or 100+ yards in a game, he can still find the end zone. He’s set to face a Broncos run defense that coughed up 83 yards to Detroit’s reserve running back Craig Reynolds in Week 14.

Bengals defense vs. Broncos offense: The Broncos like to keep the ball on the ground, but that’s going to be tough against the Bengals run defense (No.4) which is allowing merely 93.1 yards per game and just 4.1 yards per carry. Nevertheless, the key to the Broncos' success likely rests on the ground game.

Joe Burrow vs. Broncos pass defense: Burrow has a plethora of receiving weapons in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and C.J. Uzomah. The second-year quarterback is coming off back-to-back games with 300-plus passing yards. Denver’s tenth-ranked passing defense will be sorely tested by the Bengals offense.

RELATED: NFL Week 15 Odds & Betting Lines For All Games

Bengals vs. Broncos Key Stats

6-1: The Broncos have won six of seven games when they rush the ball 28 times or more.

22-10: The all-time series record between this pair with the Broncos to the good. Denver’s run of form includes winning three of the last four meetings.

2015: The last year the Denver Broncos made the playoffs. Incidentally, it was also the year they won their last Super Bowl.

9: The total number of touchdowns Joe Mixon has scored in Cincinnati’s last seven games.

25-14: The touchdown-to-interception ratio for Joe Burrow this season.

Bengals vs Broncos Weather Forecast

The weather forecast calls for sunshine and clear skies throughout the day at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. A low of 24 degrees and a high of 60 is projected with winds of 4 mph. The altitude is always a factor at Mile High.

RELATED: NFL Week 15 Picks & Best Bets For Every Game

Bengals vs. Broncos Moneyline

The change of scenery might do wonders for Cincinnati after dropping two straight at home. The recent dip in form coupled with questions surrounding Burrow’s finger might have taken the shine off the Bengals and their odds across NFL betting markets, but upon closer inspection, it turns out, the Bengals have had more success on the road this season than in front of their fans. Perhaps, that’s to be expected with a young and largely inexperienced team that is learning how to deal with big expectations.

For the first time since Week 11, the Bengals hit the road and bring a 4-2 record from their travels around the league to Mile High. While the oddsmakers don’t fancy Cincy’s chances, their record on the road says otherwise with wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders – of which three out of the four are playoff hopefuls.

The Broncos are 4-3 at home with victories over the New York Jets, Washington Football Team, Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions – two of which are playoff hopefuls, too. That the Broncos are still in the mix has surprised many NFL bettors who were ready to write them off weeks ago.

On paper, this appears to be a matchup between a couple of evenly matched 7-6 teams. One could argue, therefore, that it’s a tossup for moneyline NFL picks. However, if there was a tipping point, it would be the Bengals with one of the more potent offensive cores in the league. Thus, at +130 odds with DraftKings, a wager on Cincy to pull off the road upset is worth considering.

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Bengals vs. Broncos Point Spread

Lookahead Vegas odds and lines projected the Bengals as field goal favorites before Week 14, but at the close of Sunday’s round of NFL action, the markets flipped the script on Zach Taylor’s side. Back-to-back losses to the Chargers and Niners didn’t provide good optics and Burrow’s injury (finger) likely provided the impetus for the line movement. That and a Broncos win helped too.

And yet, backing the Bengals to cover as 2.5-point road underdogs holds infinite appeal here. Put simply: It’s a steal bet available right now with betting apps. Essentially, bettors are getting points with a Bengals team that only a few days ago was considered to be a field goal better than the Broncos at home. That’s a huge move on the NFL odds board and one that is worth capitalizing on before the line moves again. Grab the Bengals +2.5 (-105) at BetMGM.

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Bengals vs. Broncos Total

The game total currently trading at the sportsbook exchange is 44.5 points. The Broncos are one of the most consistent performers on the under against the total with a 3-10-0 record this season. If the Broncos dictate play, the likelihood of an under cashing here increases.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are a modest 6-7-0 in over/under betting. Interestingly, five of the last seven games have gone over for Cincinnati. So long as Burrow’s finger isn’t an issue, the explosive Bengals offense can mess it up for under bettors. The Bengals put up points in a hurry, and have shown a penchant for late rallies and comebacks in games. That fact alone makes the over the choice bet here.

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