Denver Broncos vs Cincinnati Bengals: Trevor Siemian faces tough first road start against Cincinnati Bengals

The Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos head out on the road for the first time in 2016 as they travel to Paul Brown Stadium to take on last season's AFC North winners, Cincinnati Bengals.

It will be the first foray into a hostile environment for Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian who gets his third start in the NFL.  The Bengals defense, especially their front four that includes standout defensive tackle Geno Atkins, will look to capitalize and rattle the inexperienced quarterback quickly.

The Broncos are dealing with injury concerns after linebacker DeMarcus Ware (broken forearm) and right tackle Donald Stephenson (calf) were both knocked out of last week's 34-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Ware is out for a month while Stephenson is expected to be gone for a couple of weeks. Head coach Gary Kubiak ruled out tight end Virgil Green on Friday after a strained calf kept him out of practice most of the week. 

The Bengals have become an one dimensional offense in the first two weeks of the season. Cincinnati has the top rated passer in Andy Dalton (366 YPG) while their running game ranks 31st, averaging just 51.5 yards per game. Cincinnati will be looking for their running game to produce in week 3 and add much needed balance to their offense.

This game will come down to Dalton and the Bengals passing game versus Von Miller and the Broncos defense. Whichever squad has the stronger game will put their team over the top in a matchup of two of the AFC's perennial playoff teams.

Keys to game

The Bengals passing game versus the Broncos secondary

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has begun 2016 as good as ever with 14 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown in the first two games. Green scorched the New York Jets secondary with an impressive 180-yard performance in week 1.

The challenge for Green and Dalton will be to find an open path against one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Green can expect to face tight man-to-man coverage from cornerback Aqib Talib who returned an interception of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck for a touchdown last week. Talib's pick-6 was the ninth of his career, passing hall-of-fame corner Deion Sanders on the all-time list.

The Broncos offensive line versus the Bengals front four

The success of the Broncos offense depends on a strong running game, which all begins with the offensive line. The line held up well against the Carolina Panthers and their vaunted front seven. Denver amassed 148 yards on the ground against the NFC champions in their Super Bowl 50 rematch in week 1. This week they will face another test with the front four of the Bengals led by all-pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins.

The Bengals defense has uncharacteristically been soft in the run game so far this season, giving up 4.7 yards per attempt. Is this an aberration or a true weakness? The Bengals will get a good idea versus the Broncos.

Heading in to Sunday's game the Broncos have the third best run game in the NFL led by C.J. Anderson. With run stoppers such as Atkins and linebacker Karl Dansby to contend with it will be paramount for the offensive line, especially guards Max Garcia and Michael Schofield and center Matt Paradis to have a solid game.

Trevor Siemian on the road for the first time

Another week and another first for Denver's first-year starter at quarterback, Trevor Siemian.  

Siemian has had the luxury of a friendly and enthusiastic home crowd for his first two weeks.  Now he heads into the jungle and will face a loud and hostile crowd.  

It will be important for Siemian to manage the crowd noise successfully and get the play off before the play clock expires.  Against a solid Bengals pass rush Siemian will have his hands full.  He has committed three turnovers in two games.  On the road and under pressure from a good defensive front Siemian will have to take extra care to prevent three turnovers in one game.  It will be a good test for Siemian and the faith the Broncos have in him as the starter going forward.

The Bengals run game

Over the last two seasons the Bengals have produced a solid running attack keyed by Jeremy Hill.  The first two weeks of 2016 has seen the run game falter, averaging a paltry 2.78 yards per attempt, ranking 31st in the NFL.  The offensive line has received much of the blame for the lack of running success.

The line must improve dramatically this week as the Broncos and their 4th ranked rushing defense comes to town.  A solid run game will help to balance an offense that will be under intense pressure from the Broncos defense.  If the Bengals are unable to run the ball the passing game will have a long day as Miller and the pass rush will tee off on Dalton.

Denver Broncos - Cincinnati Bengals Capsule

Week 3 - 09/25/16

Time:  1:00 PM ET

TV:  CBS

Location: Paul Brown Stadium 

Line:  Bengals -3.5 (Westgate Superbook)

2016 Record

Denver Broncos

Overall:  2-0 (First Place-AFC West)

Home: 2-0

Road: 0-0

Cincinnati Bengals

Overall:  1-1 (Second Place-AFC North)

Home: 0-0

Road: 0-2

Last Met:  12/28/15- Bengals 17  Broncos 20 OT

Starters:

 *Stats

*Stats via nfl.com