Myles Murphy, ranked 43^rd among all NFL defensive ends by Pro Football Focus heading into Monday's game in Denver (8:15 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 9), is drawing first-round praise for his play of last week.

"I think coming out of the game, I was most encouraged about Myles, his velocity, and the toughness that he exhibited late in that game," said Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden before Thursday's practice in the IEL Indoor Facility.

"He has to play with that violence all of the time. And hopefully that's his floor now, not his ceiling. I really believe that could be a big moment for him moving forward … There is no denying the violence in which he played with in the last 12 minutes of the game. The speed, the ability to make plays in the alley and track down a quarterback. We've got to keep cultivating that and hopefully he takes the next step for us."

Murphy, the club's first-round pick in 2023 looking to string together games just like this, came out of Minnesota as PFF's highest-graded Bengals defensive lineman and fourth overall on the defense with half-a-sack, two pressures and tied his career high of four tackles, for the fourth time, in a season-high 26 snaps, good for 43.3%.

"I thought in the fourth quarter, (Murphy was) really physical," said head coach Zac Taylor before Thursday's practice. "Really did a good job of imposing his will. More of that, and it's going to be great. Great attitude. I think he's got a lot of confidence right now. And that's really good to see."

On Guard

Taylor said right guard Dalton Risner (calf), who left after 36 snaps on Sunday, came out of the game "probably better than expected." But Taylor wouldn't name a Monday starter.

"We've got some options there, so we'll go through the week and see where it ends up," Taylor said.

The most intriguing option is the man who finished the game in place of Risner with his first extended NFL action with 23 snaps. Fifth-round pick Jalen Rivers, who played a snap on the goal line in the opener, continues to impress.

"He held up well against a good defensive front that offers a lot of looks," Taylor said. " I didn't see anything that alarmed me or would cause some concern. That's what you've seen from him really the whole way. He's only continued to improve. He's got a lot of great traits, so I've got a lot of confidence in him."

They've also got confidence in rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild, a third-round pick. According to Elias, the Bengals haven't started rookies at both guards since the 1996 opener in St. Louis. Ken Blackman, a third-rounder, started at right guard, and Rod Jones, a seventh-rounder, started at left guard.

Slants and Screens

Taylor was hopeful for starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (hamstring), who missed last week, but not so much on rookie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (ankle).

"Shemar, we'll see through the end of the week. It will be a tough time for him this week," Taylor said. "I think Cam's doing pretty good, so we'll work him through the week and I think the extra day is helpful there." …

Taylor likes the way his team is preparing for the Broncos.

"We had an extra day of meetings, so we had a chance to watch some extra stuff and get an extra walkthrough in," Taylor said. "We haven't done anything physically yet, but I do like where our team is at. I think they're very realistic of where that game went sideways and what we've got to do to improve." …

Big game for the edges after Golden looked at the tape of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

"If you don't keep him in the pocket, he can really hurt you. He's throwing really well on the move," Golden said. "That's one of his strengths. The boot game is as good as any boot game I've seen. They have the dash pass that goes with that and I think they're asking him to do things that are his strong suit, and he's performing well with it, and he's not afraid to take his shots downfield. " …