Only six weeks remain in the regular season Cincinnati Bengals are hoping for a big turnaround, and quick, if they want to sneak into the playoffs. During the bye week, the Bengals saw the Denver Broncos defeat the Las Vegas Raiders to go 7-5. We'll find out more about this in a moment.
First, let's take a quick look at the AFC North standings, a race that got tighter at the top after a Thursday night upset in Cleveland. While this race will likely come down to the wire, the Bengals' chances are slim. They are four games behind and have six games left to play. The bright spot is that they still have two games against the Steelers. The downside is that they have already been defeated by the Ravens.
AFC North standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-3
2. Baltimore Ravens 8-4
3. Cincinnati Bengals 4-7
4. Cleveland Browns 3-8
Let's get back to the wildcard race. After Denver's win, the Bengals are now 2.5 games away from the playoffs. The Bengals also have two other teams they must leapfrog, the 5-6 Miami Dolphins and the 5-7 Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals host the Broncos in Week 17, either December 28th or 29th.
Here's a look at the four teams' remaining schedules:
| Bengal | Broncos | Dolphins | Colts |
| against Steelers | against Browns | at Packers | at Patriots |
| at Cowboys | BYE | vs. Jets | BYE |
| at Titans | against Colts | at the Texans | at Broncos |
| against Browns | at Charger | against 49ers | against titans |
| against Broncos | at Bengals | at Brown's | at Giants |
| at Steelers | vs Chiefs | at Jets | against Jaguars |
Current AFC playoff standings
1. Kansas City Chiefs 10-1
2. Buffalo Bills 9-2
3. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-3
4. Houston Texans 7-5
5. Baltimore Ravens 8-4
6. Los Angeles Chargers 7-4
7. Denver Broncos 7-5
8. Miami Dolphins 5-6
9. Indianapolis Colts 5-7
10.Cincinnati Bengals 4-7
11. Cleveland Browns 3-8
12. New York Jets 3-8
13. Tennessee Titans 3-8
14. New England Patriots 3-9
15. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-9
16. Las Vegas Raiders 2-9
