We mentioned Monday that the Bengals could still be the third seed in the AFC playoffs, even if they lose to the Jets Sunday night.
The Elias Sports Bureau, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, explains how.
Cincinnati can pass New England in the strength of victory tiebreaker if the Bengals and Patriots both lose and the following happens.
Cleveland beats Jacksonville.
Pittsburgh beats Miami.
Indianapolis beats Buffalo.
And any of the following happens: Baltimore beats Oakland, Green Bay
beats Arizona, Kansas City beats Denver, New Orleans beats Carolina,
Seattle beats Tennessee.
While that combination of events isn’t especially likely, it’s more likely than, say, the Dolphins or Jaguars making the playoffs. If the first three games are even odds, we’d approximate the chances of all this happening at roughly 10%. Not that crazy.
There are also scenarios for the Bengals to pass New England if both teams win, which can be viewed here.
Our crack NBC research staff also confirms there could be other combinations of the scenario above that could hypothetically get Cincinnati to move up, however unlikely.
At any rate, we continue to hear national outlets say the Bengals will be the fourth seed if they lose. We won’t know if that’s true until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.