Bengals drop to No. 8; will need wins and help to make playoffs

The Bengals were two seconds away from a huge win against one of the AFC’s top teams Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Two seconds proved to be too much, however, and Houston’s 20-19 victory courtesy of T.J. Yates’ 6-yard touchdown pass to former Bengal Kevin Walter and the extra point by Neil Rackers, another former Bengal, put a major crimp into Cincinnati’s postseason possibilities. The loss dropped the Bengals out of the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC and down to the No. 8 seed. The New York Jets (8-5) moved to No. 6 with their 37-10 win against Kansas City. They lead the 7-6 trio of Tennessee, Cincinnati and Oakland by one game with three games to play. Of the three, Tennessee has the best record by win percentage in conference games (5-4 to  Bengals’ 6-5 and Oakland’s 5-5). Even though the Bengals own a head-to-head victory against the Titans, that will only come into play if they are the only two teams in a tiebreaker situation. If the...