Cincinnati Bengals’ Playoff Chances Improve With Week 16 Results
By Julie Swartz
@julieswartz86
Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to even taking the field in Week 16, the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes improved with the Baltimore Ravens‘ big loss to the Houston Texans. This puts Cincinnati in a better position to clinch at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, which keeps them in contention for the AFC North title. So a lot will be determined by the outcome of the Bengals’ Monday night matchup against the Denver Broncos.
If the Bengals win on Monday night, they will automatically clinch a playoff berth, but let’s not forget they are playing a tough Broncos team and in my opinion the best quarterback in the NFL. This will not be an easy task. But the good news is, even if they lose this game, they will still have a high probability of clinching a playoff spot as long as they win their final game against the Steelers. And depending on what other teams do in Week 17, they could potentially go 0-2 in their final two games and still make the playoffs.
With the Ravens’ loss this week, they can no longer win the division title, which means it’s between the Bengals and Steelers. Regardless of what happens in Monday’s game, the Week 17 matchup between these two teams will ultimately determine the division winner.
This playoff race is definitely becoming a nail-biter. Let’s just hope the Bengals can win tomorrow night so they can at least take early comfort in the fact that they will be entering their fourth straight postseason.
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