Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Chances Take Notable Jump As Season Stays Alive Into December

Cincinnati has gotten off the 1% chance mat.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow celebrates a Week 17 overtime win over the Denver Broncos that kept Cincinnati's slim playoff hopes alive. Burrow threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns in the game and also added a rushing score. | Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — PFSN released their latest updated playoff chances for the 2025 NFL season, and Cincinnati is up to 7% on the list following a win over Baltimore and a Steelers loss to Buffalo on Sunday.

The Bengals won't have many scenarios to worry about where they miss the playoffs if they can find a way to win the final five games of the season and finish 9-8 overall. The Athletic's simulator gives them a 90% chance to win the AFC North at 9-8. They likely can only make the playoffs as AFC North champions and sit two games back of the division lead.

There is no winning team in the division as of this writing and Cincinnati is the only one of those AFC North teams with three division wins entering December. 

ESPN's NFL Football Power Index gives them a slightly higher chance at 7.3%, with almost all of that being because the division is so weak (0.1% chance to get a wildcard spot).

"That was kind of the first all-around game we've played all season, it felt like. It wasn't perfect by any means, but road divisional wins on Thursday nights never come easy," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said last week after beating Baltimore. "It started with our defense. The five turnovers - just getting them off the field and giving our offense great field position, getting stops in huge moments when they had a chance to gain some momentum - I couldn't be prouder of those guys. Then, the offense picked it up in the second half with some of those touchdowns. Evan McPherson coming up big - six field goals on a day that's not a perfect day. It was a cold day, a little windy. I thought he hung in there and did a great job for us. I'm really proud of our team."

Cincinnati will need to keep stacking positive three-phase showings to post the longest winning streak of the season to pull off the division title feat.

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