Broncos ‘exorcised demons’ with confidence-building win vs. Bengals

Mark Schlereth said on Monday that he doesn’t care that the Cincinnati Bengals came into Sunday’s game struggling. Or that the Denver Broncos faced a backup quarterback, Jeff Driskel, filling in for the injured Andy Dalton. Or that A.J. Green went out again with an injury as well.

The “Schlereth and Evans” co-host said all those factors he doesn’t care about because the Broncos went out on the road and “exorcised a few demons” with a 24-10 win.

“This is a huge confidence builder and a huge win for this Broncos team who is fighting for their playoff lives,” Schlereth said.

Up until Sunday, Denver had not won an 11 a.m. game during the tenure of head coach Vance Joseph.

The Broncos have battled through a number of injuries as well, including All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris Jr. leaving in the first quarter with a fractured fibula.

“Exorcised the demon,” Schlereth said.

Denver bested all the things that had bested them in the past two years, Schlereth said, and more importantly, they did it without looking particularly stylish.

“Here’s what I love. It’s not pretty. It isn’t pretty. And yet, you still come away with a 14-point victory,” Schlereth said. “That’s the sign of a good team.”

At 6-6, the Broncos still face a climb to earn a postseason berth. But Sunday’s win, Schlereth said, was another step in the right direction.

“Put it in perspective guys. This is a big victory. And this is another step toward the playoffs for this Denver Broncos team,” Schlereth said. “I can’t wait for the next step. That’s in San Francisco.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.