Broncos looking to extend late surge
CINCINNATI — A.J. Green has a collection of stories about quarterback Jeff Driskel’s athletic exploits, such as the way he can dribble between his legs and dunk.
Or outrun teammates. Or play multiple positions in practice.
Green suggested that Driskel might be the best all-around athlete on the Bengals.
“Nice,” Driskel said in response. “But I don’t know about that.”
Everybody will find out about Driskel on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium when he makes his first career start against the Denver Broncos (5-6), a matchup of teams headed in opposite directions as the final month of the season approaches.
The third-year veteran is filling in the rest of the way after Andy Dalton injured the thumb on his passing hand.
The reeling Bengals (5-6) have lost five of six because of significant injuries and breakdowns on offense, defense and special teams. They got steamrolled at home by the lowly Browns last Sunday, with Dalton hurting his thumb while trying to recover a fumble.
It’s up to the backup quarterback to keep the Bengals’ slim hopes alive.
“Jeff is the most athletic guy on our team,” said Green, who expects to play Sunday after missing three games with a toe
injury. “He’s a guy who can play any position, has a strong arm, very smart. My job is to go out there and make his job easy.”
Although the teams have identical records, they’re on totally different trajectories.
The Broncos are coming off a 23-22 win over the Chargers in Los Angeles and a 24-17 home victory over the AFC Northleading Steelers. They seemed all but eliminated after a 3-6 start, but have been given a second — and final — chance to salvage their season.
A win on Sunday is mandatory for a team that’s starting to feel it can still accomplish big things.
“You kind of want guys to walk with their chest out, right?” Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “But at the same time, you’ve got to have perspective. There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance.”
Some things to watch:
Careful Keenum
Case Keenum was picked off 11 times in the first eight games but hasn’t thrown an interception in the past three, a thread in the Broncos’ revival. Keenum is getting more comfortable, and it’s rubbing off on the rest of the offense. He faces the NFL’s worst defense Sunday. Baker Mayfield threw for four touchdowns without an interception in Cleveland’s 35-20 win last week at Paul Brown Stadium. Keenum’s goal is to keep up the trend.
“I’m throwing it to our guys, not throwing it to the other team,” Keenum said. “Who knew?”