Bengals have a ‘prayer’ of a chance at playoffs going into Week 11

The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t out of the playoff hunt just yet. 

But they’re not exactly alive, either. 

Years of self-inflicted setbacks on the defensive side of the ball have put the Bengals in a 3-6 hole during a season in which a Baltimore Ravens team that started 1-5 might just storm all the way back and steal the AFC North. 

The Bengals, meanwhile, have just a 6.6 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 5.4 percent chance to win the AFC North, per the numbers at ESPN.

Seth Walder writes that it’s a longshot, to say the least: 

“Three things went very wrong for the Bengals this season. First, quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a long-term injury. Second, backup QB Jake Browning imploded after being capable in the past. Third, even after trading for Joe Flacco (and having him play well as a Bengal), the league’s worst defense (in terms of EPA per play) hasn’t stopped anyone. The Bengals need to go on a run to give themselves a chance when Burrow could return at the end of the season. But that’s a prayer, at best. — Walder”

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Note that these percentages were thrown out before the news that the Bengals had opened Joe Burrow’s return window.

Alas, he Bengals insist on remaining patient and staying the course. Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed the team wouldn’t make any coaching changes across the staff during the bye week. And the Bengals didn’t make a move to get better at the trade deadline, either, merely trading away Logan Wilson. 

Wilson wanting out was part of a forced youth movement on the defensive side of the ball under coordinator Al Golden that has backfired in a big way. Long-term roster building is partially to blame, though good luck figuring out how to divvy up the percentages between the scouting department and coaching staff. 

If the Bengals want to keep the prayer alive, the defense needs to veer away from being on pace to finish as one of the worst of all time and instead inch closer to league-average marks. 

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