Broncos now face do-or-die situation against Chiefs

The Broncos now officially face a do-or-die scenario for Week 18.

When Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals successfully held off the Pittsburgh Steelers for an 19-17 win Saturday night, the Broncos’ back door to the postseason closed with an icy thud.

If the Broncos fall to a Kansas City Chiefs side that is expected to rest a slew of key starters — including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was officially ruled out last Wednesday — Denver will miss the playoffs for a ninth-consecutive season, the second-longest active streak in the NFL.

Cincinnati appeared to be cruising to a comfortable win until Russell Wilson led a 9-play, 65-yard drive to a touchdown, narrowing the Bengals’ edge to 19-14. A further spot of bother hit Cincinnati when the 35-yard punt of Pittsburgh’s Corliss Waitman grazed off the cleat of D.J. Ivey, allowing Connor Heyward to recover and set the Steelers up on a short field at the Cincinnati 38-yard line.

But after picking up a first down, ex-Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson absorbed a costly second-down sack, as Cincinnati edge rusher Trey Hendrickson brought him down for a 6-yard loss. The Steelers couldn’t get out of the subsequent third-and-15 and settled for a 54-yard Chris Boswell field goal, narrowing the score to 19-17.

They drew no closer. After forcing a three-and-out on Cincinnati’s subsequent series, Pittsburgh had a final shot to win the game, taking possession at its 24-yard line with 1:51 left. But after picking up a first down on a 17-yard pass to Pat Friermuth, Wilson absorbed his fourth sack of the night when Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson brought him down. It took Hendrickson’s sack tally to 3.5 for the game, and put the Steelers in third-and-12.

Two Wilson incompletions followed, and the Bengals had their fifth-straight win — while the Broncos face the most urgent situation possible for a regular-season finale.