After rattling off three straight wins, the Bengals are still alive in the AFC playoff race with two games remaining. Cincinnati took down the Browns 24-6 in Week 16 and now turns its attention to the Denver Broncos in Week 17.
The clearest path is as follows:
Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football- Denver Broncos lose their remaining games to
the Bengalsand Kansas City Chiefs - Indianapolis Colts lose one of their final two games
- Miami Dolphins lose one of their final two games
Bengals defeat Cleveland Browns in Week 16Bengals defeat Denver Broncos in Week 17- Bengals defeat Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18
The Athletic currently has Cincinnati favored in one of its last two games, projected to win at home against the Broncos in Week 17. The Bengals are currently underdogs in Week 18 at Pittsburgh.
The Athletic currently has Cincinnati favored in one of its last two games, projected to win at home against the Broncos in Week 17. The Bengals are currently underdogs in Week 18 at Pittsburgh.
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
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"As long as we keep controlling what we can control and keep winning, we give ourselves a chance," quarterback Joe Burrow said after the team's 37-27 win over the Titans. "What I'm focused on right now is playing as good as we can play."
After the results on Thursday Night Football, there is one clear path to the playoffs if Cincinnati wins out.
The Los Angeles Chargers now have the inside track to the six seed after beating the Denver Broncos 34-27, while the Broncos sit on the border in the seven seed.
With the Los Angeles victory, the Bengals now need Denver to lose its remaining two games, one of which is in Cincinnati. Denver then hosts Kansas City in Week 18. A loss would see the Broncos finish the year at 9-8, but the Bengals would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over them to clinch the last spot. The Broncos are currently underdogs in both games.
The Bengals also need the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins to each lose one of their last two games. The Colts face off against the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars in the final two weeks after defeating the Titans in Week 16. Meanwhile, the Dolphins finish the year with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets after taking down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16.
The plan is fairly simple: Control what you can control, keep winning and let the rest play out.
"We know what we've got to do. We know what has to happen," running back Chase Brown said. "We're going to focus on this one game at a time and control the controllables."
