CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals, much like they were the last couple of weeks, were reeling on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

Behind back-up quarterback Drew Lock, the Broncos were deep in the red zone and threatening to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati’s defense, which had looked good all day, was suddenly being gashed and nine yards away from surrendering its second touchdown in as many drives.

Then, Bengals defensive end Khalid Kareem intervened. Kareem stripped the ball away from Lock as the quarterback tried to shimmy around him, resulting in one of the biggest plays of the season.

That fumble helped Cincinnati snap its two-game losing streak. Instead, the Bengals hold a share of the AFC North lead following a 15-10 victory.

And Cincinnati has Kareem and the defense to thank for that.

“Our defense played their tails off today,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after the game. “I think they’ve really sent a message to the league -- that we’ve got a hell of a defense.”

That was evident on Sunday as Cincinnati (8-6) needed that defense to rein in the Broncos while the Bengals' offense scrounged for points of its own.

When Lock came in for injured Denver quarterback Teddy Bridgewater -- who was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated following a head injury -- the Broncos’ offense started clicking. In the span of two drives, Denver racked up eight first downs.

The first possession resulted in a touchdown, and the second ended at the Bengals’ nine-yard line, thanks to Kareem.

The second-year player out of Notre Dame snatched the ball away from Lock, fell to the ground and and triggered one of the wackiest sequences of the season.

After Kareem got up and rumbled down the field, Lock chased the play down from behind and smacked the ball out of Kareem’s hands, forcing another fumble. Initially, the Broncos (7-7) were ruled to recover the ball before a replay showed Kareem was down by contact, allowing Cincinnati to retain possession.

Kareem didn’t do much celebrating. He laid on the field for several minutes while Bengals trainers stood over him. When the ruling was announced that he was down before the fumble, he was on a medical cart to be taken back to the locker room where he was eventually ruled out of the game with a concussion. But his final play earned him a game ball from Taylor for a turnover that proved critical.

“A touchdown [by Denver] puts us in a tough spot, so really big play by him to step up and take that ball away on a fumble or interception or whatever they’re going to call that,” Taylor said. “But really tremendous effort by him.”

The depth of the defensive line has been tested throughout the season, starting when rookie Joseph Ossai suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in training camp. Kareem had his own injury issues to overcome in order to be on the field on Sunday.

“He’s fought through some injuries all year,” said Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. “To have him make a play like that is awesome. [He] works really hard, that guy, so happy for him.”

In the big picture, Cincinnati’s win keeps it within striking distance of its first playoff berth since 2015. Regardless of Sunday’s result at Denver, the Bengals still needed wins against Baltimore and Cleveland in the final two games of the season to secure a spot in the postseason.

For a few tense moments, it looked like the Burrow and the offense was going to have to score to turn the tide in Denver. But thanks to Kareem and that game-altering turnover, that wasn’t necessary.

“You’re playing in tight games, close games and sometimes it doesn’t swing your way,” said Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. “But just find a way to just get that win. Finding a way to win is that biggest thing, and we did that today.”