The Cincinnati Bengals may be on a bye week in Week 10, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come out of this slate of games with some good results.
They won’t be able to add to their 3 wins. Conversely, they also won’t be able to add to their 6 losses. They will, however, be able to make up some ground in an AFC playoff race that’s heating up. The Steelers and Ravens, the two teams currently in front of them in the AFC North division, don’t necessarily have cake walks this weekend.
Bengals Can Benefit From Other Team’s Losses
GettyBengals’ head coach Zac Taylor revealed that he has no plans to change up his coaching staff after the team’s Week 9 loss
The first-place in the AFC North Pittsburgh Steelers have a touch matchup this weekend. They travel to Los Angeles for a showdown on Sunday Night Football with the Chargers. The Steelers are coming off of a dominating performance at home against the Indianapolis Colts, the hottest team in the NFL to that point.
The Chargers are looking to extend their winning streak to three in a row. They are coming off back-to-back wins against the Vikings and Titans.
The Ravens travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to play a Minnesota Vikings team that may have some juice going forward after the emergence of J.J. McCarthy. The Vikes are never a tough topple at their place, but the Ravens are fully healthy and looking to get going. They are coming off of a dominant win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football last week.
A Steelers loss would drop them to 5-4, and a Ravens loss would sink them further to 3-6.
Cincinnati’s Rooting Guide For Week 10
GettyNew York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams trying to make a play during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Here is a condensed rooting guide of the best possible outcomes for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10:
- Minnesota Vikings defeat Baltimore Ravens
- Ravens drop to 3-6, would have same record as Cincinnati
- New York Jets defeat Cleveland Browns
- Browns drop to 2-7
- Jets would improve to 2https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/cleveland-browns/-7, coming within a game of Cincinnati
- Jacksonville Jaguars defeat Houston Texans
- Texans drop to 3-6, would have same record as Cincinnati
- Jaguars would pull away a game in the wild-card race, improving to 6-3. This would make two teams in the AFC South getting a playoff spot likely, meaning a potential spot is taken away from the Bengals.
- Buffalo Bills defeat Miami Dolphins
- Dolphins drop to 2-8
- Los Angeles Chargers defeat Pittsburgh Steelers
- Steelers drop to 5-4, keeping the AFC North division leader within reach
This is all very unlikely to happen, of course. However, the Bengals need a lot to happen for them to make the dance in January. This highly-unlikely sequence of events emphasizes what the Bengals truly need to fix before they think of the playoffs.
The Bengals must figure out a way to stop any offense at all. Their defense is the worst in the league by points and yardage allowed, and some other teams around the league losing won’t fix that issue.
