Its not very often that teams with the same record square off against each other in Week 15 of the regular season, especially with playoff implications. On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals entered the game as the AFC's No. 10 seed and defeated the No.9 seed Denver Broncos 15-10.Cincinnati climbs closer to the tightly contended postseason hunt while Denver likely now slips into irrelevance. The last time either team was in the playoffs was in 2015 as the Bengals won their division, as did the Broncos on their way to Super Bowl 50 triumph.Since then, both franchises have failed to capture any form of relevance in the pursuit of bringing home a Lombardi trophy. Broncos head coach Vic Fangio and his Cincinnati counterpart, Zac Taylor, are both in Year 3 with their respective teams and have undoubtedly found their best succe s in 2021. While there are many similarities between both squads, the Bengals have found their franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow whereas the Broncos continue the refurbished method of signal-callers. The former Heisman Trophy winner has been as advertised and Miguel Gonzalez Jersey more sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in years.Conversely, the Broncos' defense has been on an absolute tear lately, supercharging the teams energy. But it was ultimately the Bengals who reigned supreme on Sunday, handing Denver its seventh lo s of the season.What did we learn from this game as the Broncos fall to .500 and likely slide out of reasonable playoff viability? Lets review three key takeaways from the game.Broncos' starting QB Teddy Bridgewater has been tougher than a two-dollar steak this season. Hes endured multiple injuries, including a concu sion and lower-leg i sues, and has barely been able to walk at times, let alone start Jace Fry Jersey an NFL game. While some, including myself, were quick to criticize Bridgewaters lack of effort in tackling Darius Slay in Week 10, theres no questioning his pain tolerance and courage. Late in the third quarter, to get a new set of downs. Initially, he seemed to have landed awkwardly on his head and appeared to have been knocked out as the beloved locker room leader laid motionle s, facedown on the turf. Two commercial breaks came and went to allow time for Denver's medical staff to a se s the head and neck of the Broncos' QB1 before he was carted off the field on a stretcher and rushed by ambulance to the hospital.Regardle s of your quarterback preference, the human element of concern and compa sion echoed throughout Broncos Country both on social media and in the stadium with chants of "Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!" Bridgewater did have movement in his extremities in the immediate aftermath.Players from both sidelines gathered around Teddy with prayers and well wishes. Any time a player is carted off the field on a neck or head-related injury, we hold our collective breath. The Broncos could not, however, as there was still a quarter-and-a-half of meaningful football to be played.Backup QB Drew Lock led the offense down the field, scoring the very first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter on a 25-yard pa s to WR Tim Patrick. While the throw was off target, Patrick was able to snag the 50/50 ball and the Broncos attempted to rally for Bridgewater. Sometimes we as human beings rally most when faced with fearful and concerning woes. Suddenly, our differences and disagreements are no longer that important.The wellbeing of Bridgewater continues to be at the forefront as Broncos Country prays for a Ivan Nova Jersey speedy recovery for the team captain, husband, and father.Scroll to ContinueThe Lock experiment as a backup has failed for the Broncos as the third-year player continues his nosedive from grace. Instead of being Denver's go-to QB2, hes seen the field due to the team's lack of viable options.Locks 25-yard touchdown pa s to Patrick was beyond overdue for Denver. However, the pa s was underthrown and off target, making the catch more impre sive than the throw. The hope was that this lucky pa s would spark some momentum for the second rounder from Mi souri.Think again. On 2nd--Goal with a chance to take the lead, Lock was stripped by Bengals' defensive end Khalid Kareem in a fashion that resembled Deebo taking Reds chain from the movie . Some will argue that Locks effort in attempting to run down Kareem on the sideline was valiant as the ball popped out once again on the same play, but it was yet again another turnover when the chips were down, specifically in the red zone. Broncos' third-string QB Brett Rypien was inactive against the Bengals in what has been a consistent theme for the former Boise State playmaker. The Houston Texans early in the season and it was decided that the Broncos would promote him from the practice squad to the active roster to retain him.But why? Is Rypien some sort of scout-team pariah or can he play profe sional football? Im not calling Rypien the franchise signal-caller in waiting. Im insisting that he play the remainder of the season if Bridgewater cannot go.Lock has not demonstrated an ability to grasp what it takes to be a profe sional quarterback. Hes unprepared, inconsistent, and too schoolyard for an offense that isnt tailored to his preferences. If Rypien was the backup to Bridgewater and his number is called, Shurmur wouldn't have to change the offense because Brett knows and could run Teddy's playbook. Ultimately, Locks failures should be laid at the Blank Jersey feet of Fangio. Either youre coaching it or youre allowing it to happen, and Fangio has allowed Lock to be the backup by default for way too long.For a coach that prides himself on his preparation, one would think that the backup QB would be prioritized. Then again, thats an offensive i sue so it might as well be spoken in a foreign language to Fangio.When you must consume copious amounts of coffee at 2 pm in the afternoon to stay awake for a meaningful football game in December, theres a problem Brandon Guyer Jersey , especially when the winner of said game takes a monumental leap forward in its respective division and the too-close-to-call AFC.Theres no doubt that continuous punts and field-goal attempts through nearly three quarters is enough to make even the most die-hard Starbucks consumer nod off. If there were defensive masterpiece performances being displayed, then perhaps the casual football fan would understand the bizarre anomaly.But the fact of the matter is, both teams were oddly inefficient, abandoning the run despite Bengals' RB Joe Mixon having already eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing while Denver's backfield duo Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams aiming for the benchmark themselves.Pat Shurmurs offense totaled 292 yards in the game, including 133 yards on the ground. This game combined for 25 points in an NFL that sees high scores week in and week out.Competitive football finally appeared late in the third quarter, but by then, it felt like the Broncos were worn