The Denver Gazette sports staff predicts Monday’s game between the Broncos and Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High.

Paul Klee’s pick: Broncos 22, Bengals 20

Denver’s ferocious pass rush is working, with an NFL-tops 12 sacks. The run game kicked into gear, with J.K. Dobbins’ three TDs. The Broncos will win, but what’s out of sync won’t find itself Monday: the round-peg-square-hole pairing of Sean Payton’s vision and Bo Nix’s skillset.

Overall: 2-1

Chris Schmaedeke’s pick: Broncos 27, Bengals 10

The Broncos get back on track against the woeful Bengals defense. Bo Nix throws two touchdowns, but questions still linger about whether this offense is good enough to beat the elite teams in the AFC.

Overall record: 1-2

Chris Tomasson’s pick: Broncos 30, Bengals 17

Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins has talked about averaging 6 yards per carry, and he might do that Monday against the woeful Bengals defense. Dobbins, coming off an 83-yard game at the Chargers, now again has a higher career yards-per-carry average than the legendary Jim Brown, 5.26 to 5.22.

Overall record: 2-1

Mark Kiszla’s pick: Broncos 31, Bengals 10

J.K. Dobbins runs wild, the Broncos run roughshod over the Bengals, and Sean Payton starts running his mouth again about the Super Bowl.

Overall record: 3-0

Kyle Fredrickson’s pick: Broncos 27, Bengals 14

The Broncos should not be intimidated by this version of the Bengals. Look for running back J.K. Dobbins to establish the tone with an early rushing touchdown. Then watch the defense feast on backup quarterback Jake Browning. You can’t lose on a last-second field goal if you have a multiple-score lead in the fourth quarter.

Overall record: 2-1