Coming into Week 14, a 4-8 record left the Cincinnati Bengals with little margin for error; however, the path was not closed. The Bengals played against the Bills in Week 14, still having two divisional games left, which gave them opportunities to change both the Wild Card standings and the AFC North race if they stack wins and receive help elsewhere.
Unfortunately, the loss against the Bills has spoiled things for the Bills.
How Far Can the Cincinnati Bengals Go?
Coming into Week 14, according to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, Cincinnati’s chances of making the playoffs were at 8.2%, and their chances of winning the division sat at 8%.
After their 39-34 loss, the Bengals’ chances of making the playoffs have dropped to just 2.5%.
The hinge point was Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills. A win would have stabilized the board and kept both lanes open: Wild Card via a late run and division via head-to-head leverage. A loss pushes Cincinnati deeper into multi-team tiebreak territory, where 8-9 rarely survives.
With the AFC picture unusually tight, the outcome in Buffalo will have a significant impact on multiple elimination scenarios and seed paths.
From there, the divisional calculus demands both performance and help. The Bengals still face the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, giving them direct leverage over AFC North standings and the first cluster of head-to-head tiebreaks. A win against Baltimore is necessary to manufacture a realistic division lane.
CB CB CB ‼️#ProBowlVote + Christian Benford
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— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 7, 2025
After their Week 14 result, the Bengals now have a 0.1% chance to get the first overall pick. At this point, a better draft pick will be more beneficial for Cincinnati than a late, failed push to the playoffs, as was the case last year.
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The scenarios are unforgiving, but they are not yet closed. A Win in Buffalo would have helped massively, but there is still a slim chance for the Bengals to make the playoffs.
Here are their remaining fixtures:
- Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Week 16: at Miami Dolphins
- Week 17: vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Bengals were in firm control for the majority of the game against the Bills, but turnovers from Joe Burrow helped Buffalo secure a big win.
However, Cincinnati will still feel confident to run the table and win its remaining games to make things interesting in the race to the playoffs.
