Very few expected the Cincinnati Bengals to be in playoff contention in January.
But the Bengals surprised the preseason prognosticators, won the AFC North and are officially gearing up for their first playoff berth since 2015, when they host the Las Vegas Raiders (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC). Cincinnati used its Week 18 game against the Cleveland Browns as an opportunity to rest its starters and was accordingly handed a 21-16 loss in the regular-season finale.