Bengals Playoff Tracker: Hope Fading Entering Bye Week

There are not many factors favoring Cincinnati in its playoff pursuit.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is hit hard by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (45) as he throws in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. The Chargers won 34-27. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The coffin lid is over the Bengals playoff body after Sunday's 34-27 loss to Los Angeles, but Cincinnati hasn't had screws drilled in just yet.

The Bengals are 4-7 and likely have to win out or lose just their lone NFC game remaining and win the other five to make the dance. It's a daunting task for a team that hasn't won three in a row this season, let alone five or six.

They are the AFC's 10th seed and currently hold a 13.4% chance to make the playoffs on ESPN's Football Power Index. Two more losses, or one against the AFC, will likely kill all hope, with Cincinnati sitting at 2-5 in AFC play. Every team above them in the playoff standings has a better AFC record, representing their biggest roadblock to jumping into the top seven.

Of the AFC teams with four-plus losses still realistically trying to get in, Cincinnati has the hardest strength of schedule remaining (20th easiest in the NFL, according to Tankathon).

The season's not over yet, but it would take a massive shift following the bye week to get back in contention.

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