The Cincinnati Bengals are hanging on the precipice of the NFL playoff picture, but they secured a critical victory in Week 15. The Bengals won a wild shootout over the Tennessee Titans, winning 37-27 in a game that featured a combined ten turnovers and 26 penalties between the two teams. The Bengals improved to 6-8 with the win.
Bengals odds to make the playoffs: Yes +700, No -1200
The Bengals were already eliminated from AFC North contention, but they remain alive in the race for a wild card berth. They entered Week 15 facing an elimination scenario if they lost or tied the Titans, but they held it off for at least one more week.
The Bengals got some help in their playoff push. The Texans beat the Dolphins, the Bucs beat the Chargers, and the Broncos beat the Colts. The four results mean that the Bengals are tied with with the Dolphins and Colts and are now two games back of the Chargers for the final wild card berth.
Cincinnati will head into Week 16 sitting behind the Colts and Dolphins among the non-playoff teams. The Colts beat the Dolphins to give them the No. 8 spot, while the Dolphins have the conference record tiebreaker over the Bengals, with a 5-5 record vs. Cincinnati’s 3-6 record.
The Bengals host the Browns in Week 16 and the Broncos in Week 17, and then close out the season at the Steelers. Even if they win out, they’ll need help from the Chargers or Broncos. Those two teams face off in Week 16. The Chargers then close the season at the Patriots and raiders, while the Broncos close the season at the Bengals and at home against the Chiefs. Notably, the Chiefs likely will have clinched the No. 1 seed ahead of Week 18, so they might be resting players in that game against Denver.
