To say there is much at stake between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs this weekend would be an understatement.
Most onlookers don’t need advanced numbers or anything special to understand this, of course. The Chiefs sit at first in the AFC at 9-4 and the Bengals actually clutch a share of the AFC North lead at 7-4 while otherwise sitting in the sixth playoff spot.
Those Bengals have a brutal schedule to end the season and have to keep sparring with the Baltimore Ravens in the division. Kansas City’s looking at 9-3 Buffalo as the biggest competition for the top seed in the AFC.
But…advanced numbers and percentages never hurt, either. FanSided’s Matt Verderame broke down what a win would do for both teams in the playoff hunt:
How big is Chiefs-Bengals?
If KC wins, Chiefs have 76% odds for No. 1 seed. Bengals would be 64% for playoffs, 15% for AFC North.
If CIN wins, Chiefs have 36% odds for top seed. Bengals would be 89% for playoffs, 35% for AFC North.
*Per 538. This assumes BAL win over DEN
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) December 3, 2022
The Bengals have a chance to play No. 1 spoiler on Sunday.
More importantly, there’s a huge difference between 64 percent and 89 percent for a playoff spot, especially considering nothing is guaranteed against a schedule that still included Cleveland, Tampa Bay, New England, Buffalo and Baltimore.
When Sunday feels like a playoff game, this is one of the major reasons.
