The Broncos lost to the Bengals in overtime, 30-24, on Saturday at Paycor Stadium in Week 17 of the NFL season.

Here are grades from the road defeat:

Offense

The Broncos had scored only three points late into the third quarter before Bo Nix caught fire. The rookie quarterback threw three touchdowns on 24 of 31 passing for 219 yards. He also tossed a costly pick. Jaleel McLaughlin led the team in rushing (10 carries, 69 yards), but Denver failed to establish much of a running rhythm. A mixed bag overall.

Grade: B

Defense

The Broncos held the Bengals out of the end zone on multiple goal-line stands. Cincinnati turned the ball over twice on downs. Denver kept Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the run with seven team sacks, led by defensive end Zach Allen (3.5 sacks). Cornerback Pat Surtain forced and recovered a fumble. But Cincinnati dominated time of possession, and Denver didn’t have an answer for Burrow in overtime.

Grade: A-

Special teams

Wil Lutz made his lone field goal attempt from 30 yards. Riley Dixon averaged 41.5 yards over four punts with none downed inside the 20-yard line. Neither team had a momentum-changing special teams return or coverage play.

Grade: B

Coaching

Coach Sean Payton elected to kick a short field goal instead of attempting a fourth-and-two conversion at the Cincinnati 12-yard line in the first quarter. That didn’t inspire confidence. Payton also had the opportunity to run out the clock in overtime with a tie still clinching a playoff spot. He chose to roll the dice and lost.

Grade: C