Two teams leading their divisions will collide for National Football League's (NFL) Monday Night Football for Week 16, as the Denver Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The Broncos are leading the American Football Conference (AFC) West with a 10–4 record, while the Bengals are lording over the AFC North with an 11–3 record.
Both teams will be heading to Monday's showdown without their franchise quarterbacks who are nursing injuries.
Veteran passer Peyton Manning has already been throwing and is recovering well from a torn plantar fascia, which he suffered in last month's defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The matchup with Cincinnati will be the sixth game the 39-year-old is set to miss this 2015 season. His replacement, quarterback Brock Osweiler, is doing a great job but in his last two starts Denver fell to the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Broncos are aiming to get back on the winning track versus Cincinnati and also solidify their claim of the top spot in the AFC West.
Meanwhile, the Bengals will play without quarterback Andy Dalton, whose thumb injury continues to plague him as he misses his second consecutive game.
Starting in his place is AJ McCarron who will be seeing his second straight start of the season.
The 25-year-old played in five regular season games this season and started for the first time in their Week 15 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Overall this season, McCarron has 40 completions for 494 yards and three touchdowns, also throwing two interceptions.
Monday's showdown features two backup quarterbacks in Osweiler and McCarron who are given crucial roles and aim to guide their team to the win as the regular season nears its end.
The game between the Broncos and Bengals will be today, Dec. 28, at 8:30 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
