Can the Cincinnati Bengals still make the playoffs if they lose against the Titans in Week 15? Here’s what they need to get in

The NFL playoffs are starting to take shape, with four teams now certain of their spot in the 2024/25 postseason: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles.

How did the Chief, Bills, Lions and Eagles qualify for the playoffs?

In the NFC, a victory for the Lions (12-1) over the Green Bay Packers on December 5 was Detroit’s 11th in a row and meant the Michiganders were the first team in the conference to advance to the playoffs. Three days later, they were joined by the Eagles (11-2), who extended their own winning streak to nine games against the Carolina Panthers.

Back-to-back Super Bowl winners the Chiefs (12-1) clinched the AFC West title in week 14 thanks to a narrow victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills (10-3), meanwhile, had already become the first divisional champions of the year, securing the AFC East before last Sunday’s defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

Bengals keep postseason dream alive against Cowboys in Week 14

With only a few games left to play, ‘permutations’ will be one of the key words in the NFL until the regular season is completed at the start of January. That also related to Monday Night Football in Week 14, which saw the Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) defeat the Dallas Cowboys (5-8) at AT&T Stadium in Texas.

The Cowboys had given their incredibly slim hopes of reaching the playoffs a boost by winning their two previous games, but an eighth defeat of the season on Monday now leaves them with the tallest of mountains to climb.

Three defeats in succession had left the Bengals on the brink of elimination, although Joe Burrow and Co’s victory in Texas means it’s not all over for them yet either.

Either the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) or the Baltimore Ravens (8-5) will win the NFC North in the coming weeks, so the Bengals can only focus on claiming one of the three wild card spots in their conference.

What do the Bengals need to make the 2024 NFL playoffs?

To reach the postseason, the Bengals must finish the regular season with the fifth, sixth or seventh best record (they are 10th at present). The teams currently in those positions are the Ravens, the Chargers and the Broncos, all of whom have 8-5 records. However, Cincinnati are also playing catchup with the eighth-placed Indianapolis Colts (6-7) and the ninth-placed Miami Dolphins (6-7).

In short, they must leapfrog three of the teams ahead of them in the standings to be involved in the postseason.

Bengals' remaining games in NFL 2024 season

It may be fanciful, but the Bengals must win each of their last four regular-season games to be in with a chance of reaching the playoffs. These are the games they have left:

Week 15 - @ Titans, Dec 15

Week 16 - Browns, Dec 22

Week 17 - Broncos, TBD

Week 18 - @ Steelers, TBD

If Cincinnati were to win all four games, they would finish with a 9-8 record. That would see them sneak into the wild card spots if:

- the Colts win two games or fewer (finishing no better than 8-9)

- the Dolphins win two games or fewer (finishing no better than 8-9)

- one of the Texans, the Ravens, the Chargers and the Broncos loses their five remaining games (finishing 8-9)

Four wins in their final five games (for an 8-9 finish) could also be enough, although that would bring a series of complex tiebreakers into the equation, depending on which teams they finished level with.

Bengals vs Titans: when, where, how to watch?

The Bengals visit the Titans on Sunday December 15, 2024, with kick-off at Nissan Stadium scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. Viewers in the US can watch the action live on FOX. If you don’t have cable, you can stream the game on the online service fubo, which offers new users a free introductory trial.

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