Key Broncos in Search of Historical Milestones vs. Bengals

Keep an eye on these Denver Broncos as they push for some individual milestones vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) catches a pass over Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Newton (28) for a touchdown in the third quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. The Bengals took a 30-24 win in overtime to remain in the post season chase. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are 1-2, but things could be worse. Several NFL teams are still seeking their first win of the season entering Week 4.

The Broncos have lost two in a row, but both defeats came at the hands of two still-unbeaten teams, and both required walk-off field goals as time expired. The Broncos are essentially two plays away from being 3-0.

Thus is the razor-thin margin of error in the National Football League. And while the Broncos made the playoffs last year, they're still very young and learing such lessons on the fly.

With the 2-1 Cincinnati Bengals coming to town for a Monday Night Football tilt, the Broncos have the chance to balance the scales and get back to .500. The Broncos are 22-12 all-time vs. the Bengals, with a 14-4 record at home.

Winning the game is obviously the priority, but several Broncos players have individual milestones or records within reach this week. There are also a couple of team milestones there for the taking.

Broncos Seeking Five Sacks

The Broncos needs five sacks to become first team in franchise history to record five sacks in three of the first four games of a season. The amount of pressure the Broncos have been able to create early on has been a feather in this team's cap.

Sean Payton Trying to Tie His Mentor

Payton needs one victory to tie Bill Parcells for the 16th-most regular-season wins in NFL history. This would be an enormous milestone for Payton to reach, and bittersweet.

Courtland Sutton Could Tie a Ring-of-Famer

Sutton needs four receptions to tie tight end Riley Odoms for the eighth-most receptions in team history. Sutton has scored in two of the Broncos' three games thus far, averaging 4.3 receptions per contest, so this is very doable.

Nik Bonitto Hungry for QB Takedowns

Bonitto needs 1.0 sack to become the fifth player to record at least four sacks in each of the last three seasons. He turned a corner last year, earned a massive extension this summer, and is providing the Broncos with an excellent return on investment thus far.

Add Jonathon Cooper to That List

Cooper needs 3.5 sacks to tie defensive end Bobby McCray for the most quarterback takedowns by a seventh-round pick in his first five seasons since 1994. That's a big ask in one game, but stranger things have happened in the NFL.

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J.K. Dobbins Pushing for Pay-Dirt

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) rushes for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Dobbins needs one rushing touchdown to become the second player in team history to record a rushing score in each of the first four games of a season. He's been a very productive player since joining the Broncos as a free agent back in June.

Pat Surtain II Could Tie a No Fly Zoner

Surtain needs one pass defensed to tie cornerback Bradley Roby for the most pass breakups by a Bronco in his first 70 career games. Roby was also a first-round pick of the team, and helped win Super Bowl 50 as a member of the vaunted No Fly Zone defense.