The Cincinnati Bengals had a rollercoaster of a holiday, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers and seemingly dashing their playoff hopes before seeing AFC chaos potentially help keep them afloat.
As all of this was unfolding around the holiday, the Bengals also had roster moves of note and the always-updating draft order was a point of interest.
Plus, some honest words from Mike Hilton about the team’s struggles against the AFC North really gained some major attention.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for December 26 before the team starts prepping to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17.
Playoff race update
Good news: The latest numbers say the Bengals have a better than 90 percent chance to make the playoffs…but only if they win their final two games. That’s better than nothing, though, compared to how bad they looked against the Steelers.
Roster move
The Bengals made a minor roster move on Monday, prepping the roster for other transactions later in the week before they take on the Texans.
2024 draft order update
A look at where the Bengals stand in the 2024 NFL draft order after dropping that game to Pittsburgh in the messy AFC.
Mike Hilton on Bengals' struggles
A veteran leader who also played elsewhere in the AFC North really hit the proverbial nail on the head when explaining why the Bengals struggle so much in the division in recent years.
Browning on bouncing back -- Bengals.com
Bengals quarterback Jake Browning was very self-critical about the loss, but also adamant there was good to be gleaned from it moving forward: “I think I just want to be in the situation where I feel like this after a loss. I want to be the guy in the arena. I want to be the guy playing. Just remembering that. And also knowing that there’s going to be positive takeaways from every film. Obviously, there’s not as many when you throw three picks. It’s not like I’m trying to put a positive spin on how I played, but there is going to be takeaways on both sides, good and bad. And taking those and applying it to practice and continue to get better every week.
Gift time
Santa Sam teamed up with @MillerLite to give his teammates some gifts for the holidays 🎁 pic.twitter.com/UO0lKt39kh
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 25, 2023
