Post BYE - Where do we stand?

[*Go Cards*]

(11-06-2022, 07:28 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Going into TEN, you're likely (hopefully) looking at 6-4.

Right now, Bengals are sitting just outside the playoffs. 
Jets, Dolphins, and Chargers are in the wildcard spots.
Chargers are half a game ahead of the Bengals.
Patriots are tied with the Bengals right now.

Bengals are very likely going to have to get to 9 wins to make the playoffs, but they might not make it with that record depending on tiebreakers.
10 wins is probably the safe goal to get in.

With all that said and assuming Bengals get a win vs PIT (not guaranteed), Bengals will need to get (at least) 3 wins against the following remaining teams:
TEN (currently 5-2)
KC (currently 5-2)
BUF (currently 6-2)
CLE (already lost to them once, haven't beaten them since 2019)
BAL (already lost to them once, currently 5-3)
TB (currently 3-5 but arguably not as bad their record indicates)
NE (currently 5-4, made playoffs last year)

The teams the Bengals might be most likely to beat are NE and TB out of that group, but that'd still only put them at 8 wins.
They'll need to find (at least) one more win against TEN, KC, BUF, CLE, and BAL.
I can't see how the Bengals would be favored in any of those matchups given the current landscape.

If the Bengals beat their nemesis the steelers then I don't see them going 2-5 the remainder of the way and missing out. Although it may take 10 wins yet still like their chances if beating steelers. 

If the Bengals did not give away the first 2 games they would be 7-2 with the best record listed. Obviously they did not and have played up and down. Yet with the exception of the Browns have played well lately.

 3 out of the last 4 games the offense has been hitting on all cylinders, 400 yds against the Saints, 537 against Falcons, and 464 yards against the Panthers and eased up somewhat in 2 of these games even.

Bengals beat the Jets and Dolphins while still struggling and should have beaten the Cowboys despite playing horrendous as well 

The Bengals can play with anybody when they show up and hopefully the Bye week affords them to get much healthier. Unfortunately dropping the first 2 games puts them on a short leash with not much room for error though. 

It's paramount to come out of the Bye and beat the steelers to get the ball rolling again going into that stretch run though and like their chances if doing so.