Fourth-quarter notes and random thoughts …

4:44 p.m. MST: Stadum music interjection: Nothing says Christmas quite like Hot Stuff by Donna Summer as the cheerleaders slide across the south end zone. You Sexy Thing would have been better; at least it was sung by Hot Chocolate.

4:45 p.m. MST: Back-to-back Tatum Bell carries bisecting the quarters have the Broncos at the 10-yard-line … although they can get a first down without getting a touchdown.

4:46 p.m. MST: Denver settles for a field goal after a third-down Mike Bell run went into the line but no farther. Jason Elam kicks the field goal, and the 70,223 on hand cheer a seven-point Broncos lead.

4:52 p.m. MST: This snow may look magical on television, but I’ve seen way too much of it in the last five days. Enough already.

4:53 p.m. MST: Should we be surprised that John Lynch has come up with a series of big hits in the biggest game of the year so far? It’s almost as though he wanted to show the world that he really did belong in the Pro Bowl, demonstrating it again by slamming into Rudi Johnson in the backfield and jarring the football loose.

4:55 p.m. MST: A second pass-interference infraction against Cincinnati has the Broncos at the Cincinnati 42 on what is becoming a huge possession — or at least a huge opportunity for the Broncos.

4:57 p.m. MST: Two plays later, it is an opportunity lost, as Jay Cutler’s pass sails incomplete.

4:58 p.m. MST: With the wind against him, Paul Ernster picked the wrong time for an lengthy punt, sending the football into the end zone for a touchback and a net of just 21 yards.

5:06 p.m. MST: Chris Henry … what first appeared to be a killer catch was revealed by instant replay to be incomplete, forcing a Cincinnati punt with 6:57 remaining.

5:08 p.m. MST: Christmas Eve dinners from coast to coast sit idling on tables while families near and far continue to congregate around their warmly glowing televisions, imbibing both egg nog and a thoroughly engrossing duel between the Broncos and Bengals.

Can I write advertising copy or what?

5:10 p.m. MST: “False start, 77, offense.” When did Dwayne Carswell come back? It was actually against George Foster. Meanwhile, the Broncos’ regular-season finale will come against a team with no playoff chances; San Francisco was eliminated with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

5:13 p.m. MST: Denver continues to look towards Walker to carry the ball; this was an end-around that didn’t go anyplace, leaving the Broncos in third-and-9.

5:15 p.m. MST: Four minutes and 13 seconds left, and Denver is out of timeouts.

5:17 p.m. MST: Paul Ernster did what he had to do … drop a punt at the 10-yard-line. Cincinnati has two timeouts, 3:52 on the clock and 90 yards to the game-tying touchdown The lower level of the stadium is on its feet as the snow lightens up.

6:37 p.m. MST: Back in the press box after a trip to the field, witnessing first a 90-yard drive, then a botched extra point, then two on-side kicks, then a trip to the locker room. More to come as we disseminate the words from the locker room.

FYI, Domonique Foxworth is okay after being treated in the locker room. He hyperventilated following the game, but is okay and will not even require hospitalization, according to vice president of media relations Jim Saccomano.

Third-quarter notes and random thoughts …

4:01 p.m. MST: All that Broncos fans can hope is that their favorite team comes out of the locker room looking as gorgeous as the wind-whipped snowfall that currently envelops INVESCO Field at Mile Hight. If the Broncos are to re-take the lead, though, they’ll need more from their tailbacks, who have accounted for only 20 yards on 10 carries and a fumble.

4:05 p.m. MST: Cincinnati continues to have success using spread formations on third-and-short, converting a third-and-2 to move to midfield out of their first possession on the second half.

4:08 p.m. MST: Two Bengals third-down conversions on this possession; they have a 50-percent third-down success ratio so far today (5-of-10).

4:11 p.m. MST: A third-down incompletion leads to the Bengals’ decision to go for it on fourth-and-7 … which becomes fourth-and-12 after a delay-of-game penalty.

4:12 p.m. MST: The snow intensified at halftime, and it is now beginning to stick to the grass outside of the numbers on the field.

4:19 p.m. MST: Broncos down to one timeout after a challenge comes up short … Mike Bell gains almost as many yards on one carry as he and Tatum Bell combined for in the first half.

4:21 p.m. MST: A crucial drive, and the Broncos’ efforts are largely in the hands of rookies — at quarterback, tailback, tight end and wide receiver, with Brandon Marshall playing frequently.

4:22 p.m. MST: Javon Walker sprints to the sideline, holding his right wrist after rushing for a first down on a reverse.

4:26 p.m. MST: Broncos in the red zone … Walker back in, and he gets the call on the end-around, but loses a yard.

4:27 p.m. MST: Give the Broncos credit for persistence. The flanker screen that didn’t work earlier in the afternoon picks up 17 yards after Cooper Carlisle and Co. get out in front for Walker, giving the Broncos first-and-goal at the 2.

4:29 p.m. MST: Brandon Marshall … dropped pass in the eend zone. No problem … Mike Bell to the rescue, and Denver has the lead once again at 20-17. It’s his eighth touchdown of the year — the second-most for an undrafted rookie tailback in league annals.

4:30 p.m. MST: Ninety-nine yards. Fourteen plays. Seven minutes and 17 seconds drained from the clock. A pair of third-down conversions. That drive might have been Denver’s best of the season to date.

4:35 p.m. MST: A 75-yard touchdown Palmer-to-Chris Henry pass was just wiped out because the Bengals were called for not resetting before the snap … still, though, it’s worrisome for the Broncos that Henry has outleapt the game-but-shorter-than-the-average-corner Darrent Williams twice for huge plays today.

4:36 p.m. MST: Chad Johnson outran John Lynch by several steps before Palmer’s deep toss for him fell incomplete. With the field slickened by the afternoon snowfall, the advantage in the wideout-corner mano-y-mano passes to the offense.

4:40 p.m. MST: Great touch by CBS to let Walt Coleman and his officiating crew wish us all happy holidays. Happy holidays to you, too, gentlemen.

Second-quarter notes and random thoughts …

2:59 p.m. MST: Unfortunately for the Broncos, it looks as though Brandon Marshall’s 36-yard reception of Jay Cutler’s deep pass after a lateral from Tatum Bell will not stand. Cincinnati challenged the call, and while it looked like Marshall dragged one foot inbounds, it didn’t look as though he had the other one down before establishing full control … too bad, because it might have been the most thrilling play of the Broncos’ season to date.

3:02 p.m. MST: OK, I was wrong. Maybe my friends are right … I am a pessimist. Fantastic play. The potential that exists with the Cutler-Marshall collaboration is as delicious as a gingerbread cookie with cream-cheese frosting.

3:04 p.m. MST: Tatum Bell … stopped.

Mike Bell … stopped.

The door to the Bengals end zone seems as impenetrable as months-old-fruitcake.

3:05 p.m. MST: Maybe I should just keep up the pessimism, because that’s twice in five minutes in which I’ve been proven wrong. The Cutler-to-Scheffler combination strikes again.

3:09 p.m. MST: The snow’s intensity continues to increase as the crowd has become electric. Cincinnati back in the no-huddle offense; it reminds me of the Sam Wyche/Boomer Esiason days.

3:12 p.m. MST: Chad Johnson’s first career fumble lost … Champ Bailey pounces on the football … a second Broncos touchdown in as many offensive plays … Jay Cutler now the first rookie in NFL history with two touchdown passes in each of his first four games (although Dan Marino also did it in his first four starts) … sellout crowd going berserk … can’t type more than sentence fragments … feel a little overwhelmed, like Ned Flanders when he found out Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson weren’t baptized … can’t help but get a tad excited here, eh?

3:14 p.m. MST: And as the snow begins to cease, Paul Ernster, seemingly fueled by a hive-like buzz in this stadium, nearly sends the kickoff flying through the end zone.

3:21 p.m. MST: After going no-huddle on most of the drive, the Bengals retreat to the huddle before a key third-and-7 from the Denver 26 … and Willie Anderson takes a holding penalty that moves the Bengals back to the Denver 31. Giant third-down play here … and give both Darrent Williams and John Lynch credit for defusing the flanker screen to Houshmanzadeh — Williams for holding up the Pro Bowl alternate and Lynch for providing the finishing hit. Shayne Graham drills the ensuing field goal, though, and the Broncos’ lead is trimmed to four points.

3:24 p.m. MST: I hate to admit this, but the more I see these ads for Armed & Famous with F-list celebrities Trish Stratus, Jack Osbourne, LaToya Jackson, Erik Estrada and Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, the more I want to watch this. Seems like The Surreal Life with the threat of deadly gunplay. It looks so bloody atrocious that it could well be brilliant.

3:26 p.m. MST: More Broncos offensive chicanery with Brandon Marshall on the reverse for a 6-yard gain to the left side … a play later, though, the flanker screen goes nowhere, as Walker makes the reception amidst of a gaggle of tiger stripes.

3:28 p.m. MST: Four months ago, John Lynch pegged Hamza Abdullah as a player to watch … with a vicious hit on a punt return, he shows why. Paul Ernster’s net on the punt is 59 yards, and the Bengals begin this coming possession at their 21.

3:32 p.m. MST: An exquisite open-field tackle on Houshmanzadeh by Domonique Foxworth gives the Broncos a three-and-out stand.

3:34 p.m. MST: As the coaches often say, the one thing you can’t do is fumble … and Tatum Bell just did for a second time in a row.

3:39 p.m. MST: Of course, now that the Bengals want to use some clock, they huddle … and let me be the first of many to say that it’s appropriate that a man named Ebenezer just played Scrooge to Palmer by sacking him.

3:41 p.m. MST: And now, the price of Tatum Bell’s fumble becomes clear after Chris Henry snares the pass from Palmer after working against Darrent Williams for a sliver of open space. Denver trails 17-14 with 43 seconds left in the half, although Denver has two timeouts remaining.

3:43 p.m. MST: Mike Bell in at tailback.

3:47 p.m. MST: Denver uses its final timeout with two seconds left and fourth-and-9, perhaps to set up a “Hail Mary” toss.

3:48 p.m. MST: Or maybe not. Halftime in Denver; Broncos trail, 17-14.

First-quarter notes and random thoughts …

2:14 p.m. MST: At the very least, the Broncos cannot be eliminated. Jacksonville’s loss to the New England Patriots guarantees that the Broncos will head into the 17th week still in the midst of the playoff race, win or lose. Nevertheless, for many practical purposes, this is something close to an elimination game.

2:16 p.m. MST: Denver opens with George Foster at right tackle, Brandon Marshall as a No. 3 wide receiver and Tony Scheffler as the lone starting tight end.

2:17 p.m. MST: Jay Cutler’s first throw and Denver’s first play is disastrous; he looked for Scheffler but released the football late, allowing Dexter Jackson to get the interception … Jim Nantz castigates Tatum Bell for a lack of effort trying to tackle the former Super Bowl MVP, who gets to the Denver 5 before Tom Nalen reaches him to push him out of bounds.

2:20 p.m. MST: In the spirit of Christmas — or at least, the spirit of one-good-turn-deserves-another — Carson Palmer’s pass to T.J. Houshmanzadeh goes right into the hands of a waiting Darrent Williams. He actually thinks about taking it out of the end zone before mercifully taking a knee and accepting the touchback.

2:26 p.m. MST: Cincinnati’s defensive backs are playing Walker tightly. One incompletion for the fifth-year wideout saw Madieu Williams draped on him like tinsel on a tree; the other saw a defender within one step of him to make the tackle even if Walker had managed to snare the third-down pass that was slightly behind him. Paul Ernster’s punt covers 42 yards and the Bengals take over at their 25.

2:30 p.m. MST: With Cincinnati playing three-wide with Chris Henry joining Chad Johnson and Houshmanzadeh, look for a healthy dose of Ebenexer Ekuban at ackle and Elvis Dumervil at right defensive end opposite Kenard Lang on the left side. From this formation the Bengals run on three consecutive plays, with Rudi Johnson gaining 24 yards on his three carries. The Bengals also went no-huddle after each run.

2:31 p.m. MST: Almost as though he wanted to say, “Enough,” John Lynch slams Rudi Johnson to the grass after a 6-yard run. Carson Palmer then goes back to the air on the next play and finds Chad Johnson for 8 yards and a first down.

2:34 p.m. MST: A huge break for the Broncos as Chad Johnson was open in front of Curome Cox for a 19-yard reception and a chance to run the additional yardage for a first down, but Palmer’s pass hits the Pro Bowl wideout between the numbers and skips incomplete.

2:38 p.m. MST: As snow flurries begin to fall, the Broncos’ offense falls backwards — back from their 7-yard-line to begin their third possession to the 1-yard-line after the Bengals sack Cutler on third down.

2:40 p.m. MST: John Lynch turned up the heat on this frigid, now-snowy day with a second-down shot, but Kenny Watson’s 13-yard run for a first down one play later renders the shot moot.

2:45 p.m. MST: Rudi Johnson finishes the 19-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown sweep to the left — in spite of Darrent Williams’ efforts to pry the football loose after he crosses the goal line. The snow flurries are growing stronger now … and the Broncos offense needs to do the same posthaste, as it’s still looking for its first foray into Cincinnati territory.

2:48 p.m. MST: Okay, this “Ocho Cinco” folderol has gone too far. Standing in front of a camera for a holiday greeting with Palmer and Justin Smith, the wideout identified himself with the following salutation: “Hi, I’m Ocho Cinco from the Cincinnati Bengals.”

He’s one step away from referring to himself in the third person by his nickname.

2:50 p.m. MST: Cincinnati’s pressure continues to collapse the Denver pocket; Cutler has hit the grass three times today.

2:51 p.m. MST: Denver goes three-and-out after Brandon Marshall’s desperate bid to find extra yardage through a thicket of Cincinnati defenders.

2:54 p.m. MST: Ladies and gentlemen, the man who should be your NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Champ Bailey.

2:56 p.m. MST: The snow is getting thicker … and Leon’s getting larger!

As my lazy eye wanders to the Patriots-Jaguars game on television about a dozen feet from my press-box perch, these pregame notes …

• Adam Meadows returns to action after missing three games with a shoulder injury. He is expected to start, as he remained first on the depth chart at right tackle through his injury.
• Darrent Williams is also back in the lineup after a one-week absence and is penciled in the starting lineup.
• Former Broncos first-round pick Deltha O’Neal is active, but he will not start; Johnathan Joseph will get the assignment at cornerback in O’Neal’s stead.
• Denver’s eight inactives are wide receiver/kickoff returner Brian Clark, running backs Damien Nash and Cedric Cobbs, linebacker Nate Webster, tight end Chad Mustard, guard Chris Kuper and defensive linemen Kenny Peterson and Antwon Burton.

Greetings from INVESCO Field at Mile High, where there is amazingly scant evidence of the massive mid-week snowfall that paralyzed the region four days ago.

The early-afternoon MVPs here at the stadium are all those responsible for making this place passable for fans to navigate the aisles and stairways throughout the stadium. The same goes for those who got this field ready; frankly, the grass is so lush and the field in such fine shape that it appears more like September than December.

In fact, the only tangible remnants of a blizzard that you’ll see on television are the chest-high piles of snow that sit alongside the walls that encircle the field. The vast majority of the snow in this building has vanished.

A smattering of Broncos are beginning to take the field for warmups, currently led by placekicker Jason Elam and punter Paul Ernster. The Broncos are back in their blue-jersey, white-pants ensemble, unseen since the loss to the Colts two months ago.

Back with more later.