Postgame analysis: Broncos 31, Bengals 23

Peyton Manning didn't look much like himself on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter Sunday. He twice threw interceptions directly to Bengals CB Terence Newman. As has been the case with Manning this season, uncharacteristic moments don't last long.

They've almost always been followed by a furious response.

Sunday proved no different.

After the Broncos fell behind early in the fourth quarter, Manning rebounded with two TD drives for a 31-23 victory at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Manning continued his hot streak, completing 27 of 35 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns. This was the third consecutive victory for the Broncos (5-3).

Manning also added another fourth-quarter comeback to his extensive resume, going 6 of 6 for 69 yards and two TD passes -- he also drew a 29-yard pass interference on Bengals CB Adam Jones -- from the moment Cincinnati (3-5) took the lead until the final gun.

“He is special at it,” Denver coach John Fox said. “He finished the race pretty well.”

The Bengals watched the latest opportunity to resuscitate their playoff hopes slip away in a cloud of missed opportunities. A season that began with hopes of a second-consecutive postseason appearance under QB Andy Dalton spiraled into a four-game losing streak.

“It's a tough road we got ahead of us,” Marvin Lewis said. “We've dug a hole. No question about it.”

The offense that sputtered during the skid showed signs of life as Jermaine Gresham caught six passes for 108 yards, and A.J. Green got the best of Champ Bailey much of the day with seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Dalton connected with Green in the end zone for the seventh consecutive game.

Bailey would get revenge with an interception in the fourth quarter that set up what amounted to the game-clinching touchdown from Manning to Eric Decker.

When the game turned: With the Bengals riding momentum and a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, they pinned Denver into a third-and-3 from their 27-yard line. Manning hit Decker on a short pass, but instead of a short gain, he broke two Cincinnati tackles for a 30-yarder. Manning and the Broncos offense never looked back.

Highlight moments: Trindon Holliday hadn't returned a kickoff all season, but Fox decided to go with him Sunday. Holliday made Fox look like a genius following the opening kickoff of the second half. He hesitated for a second before bringing the kick out from 5 yards deep in the end zone and sprinted directly up the middle. The 5-foot-5, 170-pound speedster avoided the one free runner attempting to make the tackle -- and that was that. Holliday juked the last line of defense and left everyone else behind as he completed the longest single play in Denver history.

Top-shelf performances:

Broncos LB Von Miller -- three sacks, six tackles, four QB hits
Bengals WR Green -- seven receptions for 99 yards, one TD. Seventh consecutive game with at least one TD reception.
Broncos WR Decker -- eight receptions for 99 yards, two TDs
Bengals TE Gresham -- six receptions for 108 yards
Bengals CB Newman -- two interceptions, four passes defensed, four tackles

What they said about Manning's latest fourth-quarter comeback:

Broncos QB Manning -- “I've been there before. My dad always says, 'Get back to level zero.' You have to erase the play from your mind. Any time you're on the road, you'd like to put a team away when you have the chance. Give credit to the Bengals for responding, but when we had to, our team responded as well.”
Broncos WR Stokely -- “He's going to keep fighting to the end. That's who he is and what I've seen from him for 14 years. He's a fun guy to play with."
Bengals OL Andrew Whitworth -- “There's a reason he's The Sheriff. We fought our tails off to get back in the game and take the lead and he did what he does special.”

Numbers you should know: The Bengals went through the first seven games without an interception by a cornerback. Yet, on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, Newman picked off Manning. It was the first time Cincinnati picked Manning since 2006. ... The Bengals are winless in eight games against Manning. ... Manning was nine yards short of tying Steve Young for an NFL record five consecutive games of at least 300 yards passing and three touchdowns.

NFL Debuts: First-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick made his NFL debut after missing the first half of the season with a knee injury. He didn't see a snap on defense and was limited to special teams. … Undrafted free agent Emmanuel Lamur also made his NFL debut and was inserted as the linebacker on third-and-long situations. Lamur finished with two tackles, one pass defensed and a tackle on a kickoff return pinning Denver inside its 20.

Trending downward: Andy Dalton has now thrown at least one interception in every game this season. He finished 26 of 42 for 299 yards on touchdown and the one pick. Remarkably, all of his 11 interceptions this year have come on the Bengals side of the field. Sunday's led to the final Manning touchdown.

Injury update: Broncos -- RG Chris Kuper injured his ankle in the third quarter and did not return. He couldn't walk off on his own power.

“I don't know the seriousness of it right now,” Fox said. “There are no broken bones. We'll continue to evaluate it.”

Going forward: Bengals -- Another week of Manning takes place as Eli comes to town with the New York Giants and Marvin Lewis attempts to avoid his third losing streak of five games or more in the past five seasons. The Bengals are three games behind the Ravens in the AFC North and are 2-5 in the AFC -- the first tiebreaker for the playoffs. … Broncos -- The sun is shining in Denver as it rides a three-game win streak into the weakest portion of their schedule. Next week they face 2-6 Carolina.

Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates on Twitter at @CBSBengals.