Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

W2W4: Broncos vs. Bengals

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos have clinched their fourth consecutive AFC West title and the playoff spot that goes with it. That doesn't mean they're all that willing to surrender to the storyline for Monday night's game in Cincinnati that the Bengals, still trying to make the postseason, somehow have more to play for.

Which is why for much of the week the Broncos have said the game at Paul Brown Stadium will have a playoff feel to it.

"I think they all do this time of year, especially when you play teams with a lot on the line," quarterback Peyton Manning said. " ... This game means a lot to us and it means a lot to them as well."

With that, some things to keep an eye on:

Enjoy the glare of the lights: Monday's game will be the Cincinnati Bengals' third in prime time this season. They lost the first two, 43-17 to New England and 24-3 to Cleveland. While the Broncos certainly can't look down on anybody else's loss to New England since Denver had a 43-21 loss of its own this season, it does show the Bengals have struggled when the football nation is looking in on them. In the losses to the Browns and Patriots, the Bengals struggled mightily early in both, trailing a combined 37-6 at halftime. The two losses also dropped the Bengals to 6-14 in prime-time games under head coach Marvin Lewis. Since Peyton Manning arrived, the Broncos have certainly enjoyed their share of what cornerback Aqib Talib called "stage games," and it all means a fast start could take a crowd already wondering how things might go out of the game.

Muscle up on D: The Bengals are going to want to try to dial back the Broncos' pass rush against quarterback Andy Dalton so they figure to pound away a bit in the run game. The Bengals are tied for fifth in the league in rushing attempts per game at 30.4 and are sixth in the league with 130.3 rushing yards per game. The Broncos are No. 2 in run defense, but linebacker Danny Trevathan went to injured reserve this week and linebacker Brandon Marshall, their leading tackler, missed practice time this week because of a left foot injury. The Bengals' leading rusher is 235-pound rookie Jeremy Hill, who has given the Bengals a power look in the middle of the field. The Bengals average just over 5 yards a carry on runs over the left guard, 5.6 yards per carry over the right tackle and 5.2 around the right end. That is a powerful look to the strong side of the formation and the Broncos will have to be ready to defend it in both their base formation as well as nickel (five defensive backs). They will need big days from Steven Johnson at middle linebacker, as well as Todd Davis, who played in Marshall's spot in San Diego last Sunday.

Rattle Dalton: With A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu on the outside at receiver -- 61 and 54 catches respectively -- the Bengals can certainly stress a coverage plan with strength, speed and next-level catch radius (especially Green). The two have 33 and 29 more targets, respectively, than the next player so it's clear where Dalton's initial reads are going. The Broncos have more match-up options in coverage, particularly in man-to-man looks, than most defenses. Dalton has not had consecutive games with a passer rating of at least 100.0 this season. He's topped 100.0 in passer rating four times this season but also come in under 70.0 five times, including a 2.0 in the Nov. 6 loss to Cleveland when he threw three interceptions and had just 10 completions. Dalton doesn't have a power arm so the defenses that pressure the middle of the field and force him to push the ball outside have had the most success against him.

Test the edges: The Broncos have worked comfortably in run-first mode on offense over the last four games -- 37 carries per game, on average, in four wins. Against the Bengals it may be worth their time to test the Cincinnati run defense on the perimeter, especially to the offensive left, behind Ryan Clady and Orlando Franklin. The Bengals have surrendered 5.4 yards per carry on runs outside of the offense's left tackle and just under 6 yards per carry on runs over the left guard. The Bengals have also given up an average of 4.8 yards per carry on runs over the center. If the Broncos win the man-on-man battles up front, they should find creases and force the Bengals' safeties to defend along the line of scrimmage.

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