Looking ahead to Week 18 and the playoff outlook around the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals could end up playing a Cleveland Browns team resting starters.
Oddly enough, much of this comes down to the Baltimore Ravens this week.
Should those Ravens get a win over Miami on Sunday, those Browns would end up locked into the No. 5 playoff seed and therefore almost assuredly rest starters against the Bengals in Week 18.
But if the Ravens lose today, the Browns would still have a shot at the AFC’s top seed and the AFC North, meaning they would play starters against the Bengals next week — and the NFL would possibly move the game to a Saturday kickoff in order to put it in a premium spot.
Cincinnati’s season-closing game against the Browns will be important for the team either way and they really need to beat the Chiefs this week. But the Ravens winning so that they play backups in the finale would seemingly boost their chances at the playoffs dramatically.
That Week 18 game could be a “win and in” scenario too, but it would take beating the Chiefs, a Ravens win and teams like Bills and Steelers also losing.
