The Cincinnati Bengals still have to take care of business against the Cleveland Browns in Week 18 and while doing so, could still jump to the second or even first seed in the AFC for the playoffs.
But if the postseason started today, the Bengals would clutch the third seed, putting them into a head-to-head showdown with the Indianapolis Colts at Paul Brown Stadium.
On paper, it’s a thrilling sort of matchup — and potentially a nightmare one for the Bengals, too. The Colts have an MVP candidate with running back Jonathan Taylor, who over 16 games has rushed for 1,734 yards and 18 scores on a 5.5 per-carry average. It’s at least important to point out after the Bengals run defense didn’t look so hot during last weekend’s win over the Chiefs.
Still, the Colts are only 9-7 and have had problems hanging on in a so-so AFC South, most recently dropping a game to a Raiders team the Bengals beat by a 32-13 margin.
It’s important to note this is very much subject to change with one week of games left, but the Bengals will host a playoff game and based on how things look now, they’ll be in a very winnable matchup.
