When the Cincinnati Bengals were 4-8, their playoff hopes were on life support. Many likely felt they wouldn’t have even been playing a meaningful game in Week 18. Four straight wins later, the Bengals are 8-8 and have a pulse entering the final week of the NFL season.
The Bengals have one path and one path only to reach the postseason. First, they must defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday night. They enter the week one game back in the AFC Wild Card race, so anything less than a win closes the door on the season and their playoff hopes.
If the Bengals defeat the Steelers Saturday, they then become huge scoreboard watchers Sunday afternoon. They need both the Denver Broncos (vs. Chiefs) and Miami Dolphins (at Jets) to lose. Both kickoff at 4:25 ET.
It’s a longshot, but so was the Chiefs’ playoff scenario in 2006 (one that also involved the Broncos). The Chiefs needed a win plus three other teams to lose. The Chiefs beat the Jaguars, the Bengals lost to the Steelers, the Titans lost to the Patriots and, the biggest upset of them all, the 6-9 49ers kicked a 36-yard field goal with two minutes left in overtime to knock the 9-6 Broncos out of the playoffs.
Crazier things have happened. The Bengals need another such event this weekend if they want to take a trip to Buffalo for Wild Card Weekend.
