Denver Broncos vs Cincinnati Bengals Box Score on Dec 22, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 23, 2014

Bengals 37, Broncos 28: Rookie Jeremy Hill rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown while Dre Fitzpatrick returned an interception for a score as host Cincinnati clinched its fourth consecutive postseason berth.

Andy Dalton threw for 146 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 17-of-26 as the Bengals (10-4-1) set up a showdown at Pittsburgh for the AFC North title next Sunday night. Tight end Jermaine Gresham made nine catches for 62 yards and a TD while Giovani Bernard added a scoring reception as Cincinnati ended Denver's bid for the No. 1 overall seed.

Peyton Manning finished 28-of-44 for 311 yards and two touchdowns but threw four interceptions, including three in the fourth quarter after the Broncos (11-4) had forged ahead with 21 third-quarter points. Emmanuel Sanders had six receptions for 70 yards and two TDs while Demaryius Thomas caught seven passes for 115 yards for Denver, which still can secure a first-round bye by beating Oakland next week.

Two long kickoff returns coming out of halftime set up touchdowns - a 1-yard run by C.J. Anderson and Bernard's 22-yard catch - for a 27-14 Cincinnati lead, but Manning threw a pair of short TD passes to Sanders to put the Broncos in front by one with 1:29 left in the third. Brandon Tate's 49-yard punt return led to Mike Nugent's third field goal, a 23-yarder that gave the Bengals a 30-28 edge with 7:49 to play in the fourth.

The Broncos got back the ball with 4:14 remaining, but on third-and-1, Manning floated a pass into the right flat that Fitzpatrick grabbed and returned 30 yards for a touchdown and a nine-point lead with 2:41 to play. Denver's Aqib Talib brought an interception 33 yards for a TD just 4 1/2 minutes into the contest, but Hill ripped off an 85-yard scoring run to ignite a string of 20 unanswered first-half points for the Bengals.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati's victory wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs for the New England Patriots. ... Bengals WR A.J. Green injured his right arm on Talib's interception return and, although he returned to action, did not have a reception. ... Thomas joined Rod Smith as only the second wideout in franchise history to eclipse 1,500 yards. ... Hill is the fourth rookie running back for the Bengals with four 100-yard games in a season. ... Manning suffered his first career loss to Cincinnati (8-1) and fell to an AFC North opponent for only the second time in 24 matchups.