The Bengals completed another come from behind (that's what she said) victory against the desperate Buccaneers yesterday.  That makes them 10-2 since the 0-2 start of the season.  

The next three games:

Sat 12/24 @ NE

Mon 1/2 vs. Bills @ HOME

Sun 1/8 vs. Ratbirds @ HOME

You all probably know where I stand (win out, and win Super Bowl, based on the poop bag toss and Mom's help) but I am wondering where everyone thinks they will end up.  For comparison, here is the rest of the schedule for the Rats, Chiefs, and Bills:

Ratbirds:

Sat 12/24 vs. Atlanta @ HOME

Sun 1/1 vs. pissburgh @ HOME

Sun 1/8 @ Cincinnati

Chiefs:   If this were college, they wouldn't get in based on a pathetic strength of schedule

Sat 12/24 vs. Seattle @ HOME

Sun 1/1 vs. Denver @ HOME

Sun 1/8 @ Las Vegas Raiders

Buffalo:

Sat 12/24 @ Chicago

Mon 1/2 @ Cincinnati

Sun 1/8 vs. NE Patriots @ HOME

I could actually see Buffalo losing on the road to Chicago.  They are getting really good play from Fields, although their defense is suspect.  It is REALLY hard to imagine the Chefs (that was on purpose) losing to anyone except MAYBE the Raiders, who have to travel to pissburgh and play SF at home before the final week and are likely to be eliminated.  Which sucks, because the folks battling injuries will likely just shut it down for the season.  

Even if Cincy wins out, there is a really good chance that KC gets the one seed.  Their schedule is just such a joke.  Even if the Bengals win out, assuming the Chefs do as well, they will still have to play in Round 1, most likely against the Miami Dolphins (just took their schedule and gave them a win final week against the Jets).  Miami will be a tough out.  There is also a chance if the Rats keep falling that they could be the seven seed and come to Cincinnati, which I would like much more than Miami.

Here is the NFL Playoff machine, if you care to plug in different scenarios.  It is pretty fun.  

http://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs/machine

10-2 since the 0-2 start

(12-19-2022, 12:38 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: 10-2 since the 0-2 start

Duh.  Needed another coffee....I will fix.  My bad.  

I wouldn't say the Chiefs remaining schedule is a joke. There's no scary teams there, but Seattle is a solid team. Denver seems to maybe have turned a corner Idk its just 2 games. And who the hell knows what would happen in the Raiders game. Hopefully they are fully healthy. Losing that game recently kind of sucked the wind out of their playoff hopes most likely.

Ravens definitely have a easy schedule before us. Wish Jackson could miss the Pittsburgh game. If he's back then they probably beat them.

Buffalo's got a shit schedule to finish the year. Chicago's not great, but playing their best football to end the season. Weather could suck and they got a better running game IMO. Same thing with New England other than the playing their best football, but a nasty weather game would be to NE's advantage.

I hope we win out and not rest starters on that last game.
Steelers want to play spoiler and Ravens got the KICK ME sign on their back.
Seahawks might pull a dub on the Chiefs.
Bills could go 2-of-3.

(12-19-2022, 12:38 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: 10-2 since the 0-2 start

And 8-1 since starting 2-3 and 6-0 since being only 4 and 4. 

I feel the most realistic spot is the 3 seed, but 1 and 2 are not impossible, shoot, they aren’t even improbable.

(12-19-2022, 12:43 PM)Interceptor Wrote: I hope we win out and not rest starters on that last game.
Steelers want to play spoiler and Ravens got the KICK ME sign on their back.
Seahawks might pull a dub on the Chiefs.
Bills could go 2-of-3.

If the Seahawks pull out a win against KC and the Bengals win out, the one seed is theirs and I would be doing backflips.

Not only do they get the bye, but they also get the lowest seed from round 1, which would likely be the Rats, Fins, Chargers, or Titans.  So then the Bills and KC would play each other.  Bengals win that week and host the winner of Buffalo vs. KC.  That would be HUGE.  SO, in other words, GO SEAHAWKS!!!

I think most posters on the board will agree with me that the Ravens aren't coming into Ciincinnati in Week 18 and with the division still in play and coming out with a win or tie. It just ain't happening. And that's PROBABLY what they would have to do in order to take the division from us. So, I suspect we will be, at worst, a 3 seed. If we win next week at NE, I think we win out and finish 13-4, with probably the #2 seed, unless the Raiders help us out in Week 18 to give us home field throughout.

(12-19-2022, 12:45 PM)Rubekahn29 Wrote: I feel the most realistic spot is the 3 seed, but 1 and 2 are not impossible, shoot, they aren’t even improbable.

If we win 2 of the last 3, the #3 seed is ours, as long as the loss isn't to Baltimore. 

#1 or #2 is likely gonna require us running the table unless Buffalo/KC lose 2 of 3 (with the Bills win not coming vs us, obviously). 

(12-19-2022, 12:44 PM)Nepa Wrote: And 8-1 since starting 2-3 and 6-0 since being only 4 and 4. 

And 1-0 in "Brady revenge games"

(12-19-2022, 12:43 PM)Interceptor Wrote: I hope we win out and not rest starters on that last game.
Steelers want to play spoiler and Ravens got the KICK ME sign on their back.
Seahawks might pull a dub on the Chiefs.
Bills could go 2-of-3.

True... and made me chuckle.

Still hoping for a Brandon Allen game in week 17 :)

(12-19-2022, 01:22 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Still hoping for a Brandon Allen game in week 17 :)

I hope not. I want to still be playing for #1.  Too many trips to Arrowhead is tempting the football gods. I don't want to see that place again.

When teams that are out of the playoff picture, the pressure is off of them, and they have nothing to lose. Some play better at times like this when they can just wing the ball around with no worries. Some people do not play well under pressure lets hope we see a few upsets the last few games.

(12-19-2022, 01:51 PM)BengalsBong Wrote: When teams that are out of the playoff picture, the pressure is off of them, and they have nothing to lose. Some play better at times like this when they can just wing the ball around with no worries. Some people do not play well under pressure lets hope we see a few upsets the last few games.

Good point !!!

(12-19-2022, 12:36 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: Chiefs:   If this were college, they wouldn't get in based on a pathetic strength of schedule

Sat 12/24 vs. Seattle @ HOME

Sun 1/1 vs. Denver @ HOME

Sun 1/8 @ Las Vegas Raiders

Man, that sure looked great when they made the schedule, I bet. Two division games to finish the season, one against the Russell Wilson Broncos and the other against the Davante Adams Raiders.

I gotta admit, I was skeptical Bengals would be able to get wins after the 2nd Steelers game given how they were inconsistent up to that point.
And it was hard to trust what we saw against the lowly Panthers and Steelers actually meant they had improved or they just played a crappy opponent.
I have been impressed with their ability to get wins against the Titans, Bucs, Browns (finally!), and especially the Chiefs.

Honestly, even a loss over the next three games wouldn't give me cause for concern, as they've now proven to me they have improved.
It'd be great to get a win against NE on Christmas Eve to lock in a playoff spot though.

Texans took the Chiefs to overtime so nothing is off the table.

(12-19-2022, 02:53 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Texans took the Chiefs to overtime so nothing is off the table.

This....I couldn't believe what I was watching. If Mills protects the ball on that scramble, who knows how that game ends.