Burrow also connected with Higgins for 31 yards down the sideline to set up the score.

The fifth-year pro threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to Higgins, who had 11 catches for 131 yards.

Ja’Marr Chase added nine catches for 102 yards, and tight end Mike Gesicki caught 10 passes for 86 yards.

As Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote, Burrow and the Bengals had this game won three different times. The third time was the charm.

Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt set up the first potential game-winning drive by intercepting a Bo Nix pass with 2:34 left in regulation to put the Bengals at their own 41-yard line.

Burrow immediately found Chase for 38 yards and later capped the drive with a one-yard QB sneak to help put the Bengals up 24-17.

However, Nix worked his magic and moved Denver down the field. On 4th-and-1 from the Bengals’ 25, Nix found double-covered wideout Marvin Mims in the end zone with eight seconds left. The PAT tied the game.

Cincinnati and Denver traded punts to start overtime, but the Bengals then marched down the field, with a Burrow 19-yard strike to Higgins serving as the big play.

Cincinnati kicker Cade York soon jogged onto the field for a 33-yard field goal attempt, but he hooked the football left off the upright.

Cincinnati needed a stop to keep its season alive, and the Bengals got just that after a three-and-out.

Burrow’s doing so well that he’s even getting a little MVP talk, although that seems unlikely given Cincinnati’s struggles this year.

Still, Burrow has been tremendous, and analysts, fans and even a couple current and ex-superstar football players recognized his greatness.

Now the focus turns toward whether Burrow can keep this magic going in the postseason. Despite the win, the Bengals still need few results to go their way to make the playoffs.

First, they need the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins to lose one of their final two games. Indianapolis closes at the 2-13 New York Giants and home versus the 3-12 Jacksonville Jaguars. Miami finishes at the 3-12 Cleveland Browns and at the 4-11 New York Jets.

The Bengals also need the Broncos to lose at home to the 15-1 Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 5. Kansas City has clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and may very well rest its starters in advance of the playoffs.

Cincinnati also needs to beat the host Pittsburgh Steelers, who sport a 10-6 mark, on Jan. 5.

So there’s a lot that needs to happen. However, the Bengals go into Week 18 still alive for the playoffs, and that didn’t look probable after the team dropped to 4-8 earlier this year. A four-game win streak gives the Bengals a pulse, though, thanks largely to the Burrow-led offense.