The Bengals’ pulse is still detectable, but the post-mortems have already begun.
Cincinnati (8-7) remains alive in the playoff picture. The Bengals, however, do not have complete control of their destiny. Cincinnati must beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, which it hasn’t done in Paul Brown Stadium in their past five meetings, to have any chance. In addition, the Bengals must hope the Oakland Raiders upset the New York Jets or San Francisco wins in Denver while Kansas City defeats Jacksonville.
For a team that had every reason to believe it was a Super Bowl contender, it is a discouraging situation.