Playoff Picture: How Did Bengals Week 9 Win Impact AFC Race?

CINCINNATI — We are past the midway point of the NFL season, a perfect time to assess where Cincinnati stands in the AFC Playoff race.

No matter what happens in Ravens/Saints on Monday night, the Bengals enter their bye week as the nine seed.

Joe Burrow's squad throttled Carolina 42-21 on Sunday, but it didn't shift their spot in the standings, despite moving above .500. The Bengals conference and division record is what's holding them back.

At 0-3 in the AFC North and 2-3 in the AFC, Cincinnati has the worst record of the top-nine teams on both accounts. Each team above them is at least 4-2 in the AFC, while New England (1-1) and Buffalo (0-2) are the lone teams at .500 or worse in the division.

Conference record is king—that's how Wild Card tiebreakers are determined, while any AFC North tie comes down to divisional record. Baltimore is 2-0 in the North, holding a commanding lead on the Bengals in that respect.

Things will start shifting fast, thanks to the Bengals playing 4-of-5 NFC games before Week 10. According to FiveThirtyEight, Cincinnati now has a 48% chance of making the playoffs, a 16% chance of winning the division, and a 2% chance at the No. 1 seed.

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