Even if the Bengals win on Sunday, there is a very good chance they’ll end up playing in the Wild Card round next week. With a win against Baltimore, the Bengals will earn a 12-4 record for only the third time in franchise history. The previous two times Cincinnati finished 12-4, the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl. Granted, those two teams were lucky enough to earn byes. This year’s team might not have that luck.
So what if the Bengals don’t end up with the bye? There’s a great chance they’ll have to play next week, as it would take an 11-4 Broncos team losing to the 4-11 Chargers and more for the Bengals to earn a bye.