The Bengals return from their bye week to face the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in Cincinnati.
Believe it or not, I have been talking myself into the Cincinnati Bengals having a path to the NFL Playoffs.
Hear me out. If the Bengals beat the Steelers on Sunday and get to 5-7 and 2-2 in the AFC North, you can start to look at their next three games against the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns and think about how the Bengals can win all three of those games. Think about what a win at home against Pittsburgh would do to the Bengals and their potential to galvanize a late-season run.
Here’s the thing: The offense isn’t going anywhere. As long as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are on the field, they’re going to score and accumulate a lot of yards. If the defense can just get ONE stop when it matters, you never know.
Now, what if I told you the Bengals are favored this week against the Steelers? Huh?! The Bengals, at 4-7, are favored against the Steelers, who are 8-3!?
Yup, the Bengals are 2.5-point home favorites at FanDuel.
ESPN’s Football Power Index has the Bengals as favorites in all of their next five games. That includes a Week 17 home game against the Denver Broncos.
It may be hard to fathom that, but let’s imagine how we would feel if the Bengals beat the Steelers. For what it’s worth, the Steelers haven’t looked great the last two weeks. The Bengals offense is clicking, and Chase Brown had a solid night running the ball last week at Los Angeles.
If the Bengals can beat the Steelers at home on Sunday, that will create some momentum. If the Bengals can win their next five games and get to 9-7, they could go into Pittsburgh with a chance to play for a playoff berth in Week 18. Pittsburgh could also rest their starters if they already have clinched a playoff berth.
It’s all hypothetical right now, but there is a path that you can see toward the Bengals getting back in the postseason.
