The Bengals scored a huge win on Monday night over the Dallas Cowboys, improving their playoff chances slightly. Or at least, it made their elimination scenarios for Week 15 slightly more extensive.
Had the Bengals lost, they would have been eliminated this week with either a loss against the Titans or a win by the Broncos against the Colts. The Bengals can still be eliminated this week, but it would now require both results to happen.
In full, the simple scenario for the Bengals to be knocked out of the race would be with a loss or a tie against the Titans plus a win or a tie by the Broncos against the Colts.
They can also be eliminated if they tie and that is coupled with a win or tie by both the Ravens (at Giants) and Chargers (vs. Buccaneers) plus a win by the Broncos.
If the Bengals win, they cannot be eliminated in Week 15.
The Bengals are one of four teams that can officially be knocked out in Week 15. The Panthers, Bears and Cowboys also have elimination scenarios this week — the Bengals helped push the Cowboys towards that scenario with their win Monday, as a Dallas win would have prevented any sort of scenario from being possible for the Cowboys in Week 15.
