The first quarter was largely a back-and-forth affair, as the Bengals continued to struggle converting 3rd downs, and the Broncos have faced a few dropped passes by receivers in spite of Peyton Manning's effectiveness at quarterback this afternoon.
The Bengals scoring drive began with the Broncos getting stalled by an offensive interference call by wide receiver Eric Decker.
The call reversed what would have been a first down, and Peyton Manning couldn't connect with Brandon Stokley, who completely dropped a well-placed pass by Manning.
After the Broncos were forced to punt the ball away, the Bengals were quick to strike. Dalton connected to A.J. Green for a 37-yard gain. After a few run attempts, A.J. Green took a screen pass which resulted in another first down. The Bengals then changed their offensive tempo with several quick no huddle strikes on the ground. The hurry up offense continued to chip away in Broncos territory. The tempo slowed a bit as Marvin Lewis had a discrepancy with the play clock.
Faced with 3rd and goal after an incomplete pass from Dalton was batted down at the line, Dalton couldn't find any opportunities down field and opted to run the ball himself to the line of scrimmage.
Mike Nugent converted a 28-yard field goal, giving the Bengals their first score of the afternoon as well as a tie ball game.
The Bengals can look back on an offensive drive of ten plays, 57 yards, and 4:23 time of possession.