The Bengals were expected to be a contender in the AFC this season and were picked by many to win the AFC North. Despite the offense firing on all cylinders with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, the defense has fallen apart late in games.
Cincinnati will take on Tennessee in Week 15, entering with a 5-8 record and in third place in the AFC North. The Bengals cannot win the division, but they still have an outside shot of making the AFC playoff field with an at-large bid. Cincinnati made the playoffs in 2021 and 2022, but if it misses it in 2024, that will mean back-to-back years with no postseason berth.
With four games to go, here is Cincinnati's playoff picture ahead of a Week 15 game against Tennessee.
NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule
The first four seeds represent the AFC's current division leaders, and they each will get an automatic bid into the playoffs. Given that there are four games left in the regular season, Cincinnati cannot win the AFC North this year. The Steelers and Ravens both sit ahead of the Bengals. Pittsburgh will remain on top of Cincinnati in the rankings this year, but the Bengals could pass the Ravens if they win out and Baltimore struggles.
Denver currently holds the No. 7 seed and final wild-card slot, but the bottom three seeds all have eight wins. Cincinnati would need to win out and have several teams go through bad slumps to end the year to make the postseason, but it isn't impossible.
The Bengals will face the 3-10 Titans in Week 15 and the 3-10 Browns in Week 16. Cincinnati's postseason chances could be a Week 17 matchup against Denver. Despite the rivalry, the Bengals may benefit from playing the Steelers in the final week of the regular season. If Pittsburgh is already locked into a playoff spot and cannot go up or down depending on the Week 18 result, it could rest its players, giving the Bengals an easier matchup.
MORE NFL:
Heading into Week 15, ESPN's projections gave Cincinnati a 2.8% chance to make the playoffs. That's by far the lowest among AFC teams, with the Dolphins next at 13.4%. A win against Tennessee is expected, so it's likely that the Bengals would only see dramatic improvements with another key loss, like the Broncos falling to the Colts.