The Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) fell to the Los Angeles Chargers (7-5) at Paul Brown Stadium and it was a loss the Bengals could be haunted from depending on how things shake out over the final five games.
By losing to the Chargers, the Bengals missed an opportunity to pull even closer to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North race and more importantly, if the Bengals and Chargers end the season with the same record, the Chargers would win the head-to-head tie-breaker because of the Week 13 win. Prior to the loss, the Bengals moved up to the No. 5 seed after the win over Pittsburgh the week prior.
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With that being said, the Bengals would still make the playoffs if they started this week as the No. 7 seed. Cincinnati needs to get on a roll and find ways to consistently win games if they want to make it to the postseason. But they'll have their work cut out for them as their final five opponents of the regular season have a record of .500 or better.
Here's where the Bengals fit in the AFC playoff picture:
- New England Patriots (8-4), first place AFC East
- Tennessee Titans (8-4), first place AFC South
- Baltimore Ravens (8-4), first place AFC North
- Kansas City Chiefs (8-4), first place AFC West
- Buffalo Bills (7-4), second place AFC East
- Los Angeles Chargers (7-5), second place AFC West
- Cincinnati Bengals (7-5), second place AFC North
Here's who is in the AFC playoff hunt:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1)
- Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
- Las Vegas Raiders (6-6)
- Cleveland Browns (6-6)
- Denver Broncos (6-6)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7)
The Bengals remaining games are against the following:
- Week 14: Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Week 15: Bengals at Denver Broncos
- Week 16: Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Week 17: Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Week 18: Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati has the benefit of playing three out of their final five games at home. Based off the way the schedule plays out, the Bengals are now in must-win situations against the Broncos, Ravens and Browns. With the 49ers in the NFC, it's not a deal-breaker if the Bengals don't beat San Francisco. It's hard to imagine the Bengals getting in the playoffs with more than six losses based off the records of the other AFC teams on the bubble.
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