The Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Path Remains Open...But Narrow

For the first time since 2017, the Cincinnati Bengals have swept the Cleveland Browns and now have a three-game winning streak in the Battle for Ohio for the first time since it won seven in a row between December 2014 and November 2018.

It was another Joe Burrow masterclass with multiple, dare we say Mahomes-ian, circus throws, and finished 23 of 30 with 252 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

Chase Brown had another solid day with 91 yards off 18 carries.

The defense tightened up when it needed to but still showed its deficiencies.

All in all, when the clock hit 00:00, the Bengals finished on top and kept its increasingly thin playoff hopes alive.

The Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Path Remains Open...But Narrow Just Win Thanks to the Bengals two three-game losing streaks, its playoff destiny does not rest in its own hands.

The one thing Cincinnati can do is take care of what it can over the final two weeks of the season.

Beat Denver.

Beat Pittsburgh.

The Broncos have looked solid of late but claimed defeat out of the jaws of victory on Thursday Night Football.

Theyre 9-6 to this point in the year and were on a four-game win streak before the Los Angeles Chargers.

Burrow said the TNF game was a Big Game and he was right.

Whoever lost that game was directly responsible for at least one of the criteria needed to see Cincinnati in the postseason.

With the Broncos losing, the next step is locked in.

Broncos Must Lose Out Denver has two games remaining.

Losing to the Bengals is the obvious answer.

Cincinnati needs to win out and that would include beating Denver.

Ground-breaking analysis.

The sticking point in this one will take place in Week 18.

Denver hosts the Kansas City Chiefs.

On the surface, sure, the Chiefs could have the top seed locked up and will rest its starters.

However, the Broncos have won just once against the Chiefs since November 2017.

Once.

That win came in October of last year.

The Bengals and Chiefs have forged a sort of informal rivalry.

Since the 2021 season, its been even.

The Bengals won three in a row including the 2021 AFC Championship Game.

Now, Kansas City is on its own three-game win streak that was kicked off by a win in the 2022 AFC Championship.

The back-to-back Super Bowl Champs are a win or Buffalo Bills loss away from locking up the top seed once again.

Could they rest starters or will they try to stick it to their rivals and pseudo-rivals all in one and win? Dolphins Must Lose Once All of those AFC losses piling up have put the Bengals firmly behind the eight-ball in tie-breaker scenarios.

Hence, they need significant help.

The second domino that must fall is that the Miami Dolphins have to lose a ninth game.

After taking down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, that possibility has lessened.

The fact of the matter for Miami is that it isnt quite as strong as we thought heading into the year.

Even then, its final two games are not going to be ones Bengals fans have much faith in.

In Week 17, Miami travels to Cleveland.

In Week 18, the Dolphins go to the New York Jets .

Neither of those teams is any good this year and yet, the Bengals have to hope one of them steps up and wrecks the Dolphins season.

Colts Must Lose Once The other critical component to get Cincinnati to the postseason is to hope the Indianapolis Colts trip up down the stretch.

This isnt an either/or kind of situation; the Bengals need BOTH the Dolphins AND Colts to lose once more.

With how soft Miamis last two games are, surely theres some hope with the Colts, right? Well, in Week 17, the Colts travel to the New York Giants.

In Week 18, they host Jacksonville.

Yes, the two teams the Bengals have to hope lose at least once get to face four of the eight worst teams in the NFL by current NFL Draft standings .

Nobody To Blame But Themselves It was always going to be an uphill battle.

However, the fact that its going to be more of an uphill-battle-in-a-blizzard-with-broken-skis-and-a-yeti-hurling-boulders-down-the-hill-Donkey-Kong-style uphill battle.

Unfortunately, for as many excuses or claims of rigging, the Bengals have lost eight games and have yet to beat any teams currently with winning records.

Six wins have come against five of the eight worst teams in the NFL.

Of those eight losses, seven have been by seven points or less.

The hype surrounding this team is entirely predicated on the offenses ability to score with anyone.

It has the NFL leader in passing in Burrow and a potential Triple Crown winner at receiver in JaMarr Chase .

The Bengals had the leagues most prolific passing attack, averaging 267.3 yards per game.

And yet, here they are, clinging onto a sliver of hope and needing help.

The front office failed to field a semi-decent defense and, as a unit, it has underwhelmed.

Sure, the Bengals defense looks elite against quarterbacks who are not NFL starting quarterback-caliber.

This is what the 2024 Bengals season has been and when we look back on it, it will be one massive What If.

What if the Bengals managed to field a league-average defense? What if one of those unlucky bounces went Cincinnatis way? What if Burrow and Chases MVP and Offensive Player of the Year campaigns werent dead on arrival because they played on a 9-8 (at best) team? What if.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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