The Bengals’ playoff desperation is comedy gold for Chiefs fans

While the Kansas City Chiefs long ago gave up fighting for a postseason spot after signing Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals find themselves in a must-win situation to earn a wild card spot to stay alive.

The Bengals’ thrilling, chaotic overtime win over the Denver Broncos put them in a situation where a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 and a Denver loss to Kansas City in Week 18 could be all Cincinnati needs to recover to sneak into the playoffs again.

The problem with the Bengals’ best plan, which will inevitably lead them astray, is the fact that it’s all but certain that Mahomes won’t finish this game, and it’s very likely that he won’t play at all. This puts Carson Wentz in the way of their playoff dream.

Wentz may be one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, but it might be difficult to see him excel as a scorer against a defense that gave even Mahomes problems. In a delicious twist of fate, Bengals fans need the Chiefs to win as much as they need to take care of business against the Steelers.

The Bengals’ postseason hopes, dependent on the Chiefs’ backups, are comedy gold

Not only do the Bengals need a win and a loss in Denver to even think about the postseason, but they also need Indianapolis and Miami to take a loss or two to eliminate them from the equation. Kansas City, on the other hand, can put its feet up and smoke a cigar in Week 18.

The Bengals have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Burrow and perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the NFL in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but their loudmouth rival Kansas City lacks overall defensive depth and situational excellence , which are needed to mount a serious challenge for the AFC throne.

To make matters worse, Cincinnati may be in for another difficult season in 2025. Baltimore and Pittsburgh aren’t going anywhere, Higgins could leave for the biggest paycheck in free agency, and this defense needs several years of new talent before it ends up being good again.

While Cincinnati’s loud, unfounded invective about “Burrowhead Stadium” has left them clinging to the Chiefs in the most ironic way possible to save their postseason bacon, the Chiefs couldn’t be less concerned about the fate of their old ones Be postseason rivals.