After losing 41-16 to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, if the playoffs began today, the Cincinnati Bengals would find themselves on the outside looking in. Yes, the Bengals still have a winning record, but the AFC is as close of a race as its been in a long time.
The Bengals are the No. 10 seed in the AFC currently. With eight games to play, seven of Cincinnati's upcoming opponents have winning records. The San Francisco 49ers are the only team that's below .500.
"It’s a race to the finish when we come back from the bye, man," running back Joe Mixon said following the Week 9 loss.
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Prior to Cincinnati's Week 8 matchup with the New York Jets, the Bengals were the AFC's No. 1 seed after the dominating win over the Baltimore Ravens the week before. The Bengals looked like the team to beat in the AFC North just two weeks ago when the club boasted a 5-2 record. After two bad losses to the Jets and Browns, there's now a lot of questions about who this Bengals team really is.
Are the Bengals closer to the team we saw the first seven weeks? Or is the club closer to the team we've seen over the last two weeks when the team has lost?
Fortunately for the Bengals, when they return from their bye week, they'll have an opportunity to shape what the rest of their season looks like. Cincinnati will likely need to win six of its final eight games to get in the postseason. The margin for error is small, especially in the AFC North.
Looking at the standings are they today, there's a chance three AFC North teams can get in. The NFL now takes seven teams from the AFC and NFC, meaning three Wild Card teams get in. Here's a look at the playoff picture in the AFC right now:
1. Tennessee Titans (7-2)
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
3. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
4. Buffalo Bills (5-3)
5. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
7. New England Patriots (5-4)
On the bubble: Kansas City Chiefs (5-4), Cleveland Browns (5-4), Cincinnati Bengals (5-4), Denver Broncos (5-4) and Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
The two main questions about the Bengals following the two consecutive losses are the following: What is going on with Cincinnati's defense and their ability to tackle, create turnovers and limit explosive plays? And, can the Bengals' pass protection improve to ensure quarterback Joe Burrow isn't under duress all game?
Burrow has been sacked 25 times through nine games this season. The Bengals' defense has allowed 34 and 41 points over the last two weeks after starting off the season ranked in the top-10 in points allowed per game.
Cincinnati believes it's bye week is coming at the right time and the hope is when the team returns they are able to fix their issues in time to make a strong postseason push.
"We just have to know that we have to stay the course," tight end C.J. Uzomah said.
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