Aqib Talib stood in the Broncos’ end zone with his hands on his hips, trying to regain his breath and his bearings as Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium shook in celebration. Bengals running back Jeremy Hill, fresh off a 50-yard run on the previous play, had just barreled over Talib for a 3-yard touchdown run up the middle, leaving the Broncos’ Pro Bowl cornerback — and his head coach — wondering how and why this happened yet again.
The Broncos started their third consecutive victory in similar fashion to their previous two: from behind. The Bengals needed all of two minutes, 50 seconds on their first possession to score, becoming the third team in as many games to do so against the Broncos.