Bengals path to playoffs got much clearer thanks to Chargers defeating Broncos

The Cincinnati Bengals are likely in their last season with the potent wide receiver tandem of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The team would prefer for their time together to end in a Super Bowl championship, but Cincinnati dug themselves into a hole with poor performances early in the regular season.

After losing four of their first five games, the Bengals fell deeper down the standings with another three-game losing streak after the midpoint of the 2024 season. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have put the AFC North title out of reach, Cincinnati has kept their playoff hopes alive by stringing together two consecutive wins over the past two weeks.

Although Cincinnati remains alive for one of the three AFC Wild Card spots that remain unclaimed, they will need plenty of games to break their way over the final three weeks of the seasons. The first of those dominoes may have fallen on Thursday. 

The Los Angeles Chargers stormed back to defeat the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, which indirectly kept Cincinnati’s hopes alive.

The Chargers may have helped the Bengals' playoff chances

The Bengals currently hold an eight percent playoff probability, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That can improve to 12 percent with a victory on Sunday. While those odds may seem grim, the result of Thursday’s game may have opened the door for a realistic path to the playoffs, as noted by The MMQB’s Albert Breer. 

The Bengals currently hold a 6-8 record, and they entered Thursday night facing a three-game deficit for the sixth and seventh seeds, which are currently held by the Chargers and Broncos. Of the two teams, Cincinnati is more likely to surpass the Broncos — the Bengals suffered a 34-27 loss to the Chargers in Week 11, which gives Los Angeles a head-to-head tiebreaker over Cincinnati.

With Denver’s loss, the Bengals can inch closer toward the No. 7 seed with a victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. Then, the Bengals will have an opportunity to hand the Broncos another loss in Week 17. In that case, Denver would fall to a 9-7 record, while Cincinnati would improve to 8-8 and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Denver heading into the final week of the regular season.

In that scenario, the Bengals could clinch a playoff spot with a victory and a Denver loss in the regular season finale. Plus, they would need the Miami Dolphins or Indianapolis Colts to lose one of their final three games. The Broncos could easily lose their final game of the season, which would be against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, those are a lot of things that have to go right, and Cincinnati’s Week 18 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be easy either. The Bengals have no room for error, and although they can score plenty of points, they have the second-worst scoring defense in the NFL this season. Unless that improves, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals pulling off any miracles.