His first battle came exactly seven plays in, because Riley Moss stood alone on Monday night.
A third-down snap hit Jake Browning’s hands, and the Bengals quarterback’s eyes snapped to the left side of the formation. They did not move. He didn’t glance anywhere else. This was the game plan.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins shoved off the line against Moss on a fade route, the same matchup that downed the Broncos in Week 17 last season. And in a different year, with a different quarterback, the outcome was the same early in Monday night’s first quarter as Higgins pivoted to his back-shoulder and slammed to the turf with a 19-yard catch.