Backs against the wall: The Bengals playoff push

The Cincinnati Bengals are kicking off the new year with a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, this game will determine if their hard work over the past few weeks will pay off or if they will lose their chance to play post-season. In week 13 the Bengals took on the Steelers and left with a 44-38 loss putting them at 4-8 for the season, this loss gave them a very slim chance of making it to the post-season. The Bengals took this challenge and shocked everyone with their last-minute season turnaround, from 4-8 they are now 8-8 winning their last 4 games. 

Besides a win, what exactly needs to happen for the Bengals to make an appearance in the postseason? The Broncos need to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Dolphins need to lose or tie against the New York Jets. What are the chances of this happening? 

The Chiefs have been one of the best teams this season. Coming off of their second straight Super Bowl win, they started off the season strong and are 15-1, while the Broncos are 9-7. Anything is possible, but with the Chiefs resting up Patrick Mahones and key other players, will they still be able to get the job done? 

The Dolphins and the Jets game will prove to be the more difficult outcome needed. The Miami Dolphins are 8-8 but the New York Jets are 4-12. The Dolphins are in the same boat as the Bengals, needing a win over the Jets and the Broncos to lose in their game against the Chiefs. In the last matchup between these teams, the Dolphins won 32-26 in overtime. The Jets hope that they can be the ones to squash their chances of making the playoffs. 

The Bengal's last game was against the Broncos, they won 24-30 in overtime. This game had every fan on the edge of their seat, it makes one wonder if they fixed or altered any mistakes made during that game. Bengals kicker Cade York had an opportunity to end the game by making a 33-yard attempt, but he missed it continuing the overtime. Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins secured the game-winner with a 31-yard pass to Higgins. Burrow finished with 412 passing yards, and 4 total touchdowns. By completing that catch Higgins got a new game-high of 11 catches for 131 yards. With this game, it marked Burrows with eight consecutive games with at least 250 yards and three touchdown passes breaking the longest streak in NFL history. 

The question that remains is, can the 8-8 Bengals secure this win and keep their playoff hopes alive? Tune in at 8 pm EST to find out as they take on the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.