Bengals now know when their playoff fate will be decided should they take care of business

The Bengals defeated the Denver Broncos this past Saturday night while the Steelers last played last Wednesday on Christmas Day , meaning both teams will have at least a full week's rest before the game. This along with playoff implications for both teams made it the logical choice for one of the Saturday kickoff times. The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens will face off at 4:25pm ET. 

If the Bengals win, they will still be alive for the No. 7 seed in the AFC Playoffs. The help they'll need won't be able to arrive until the next day.

The Bengals need the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets to win next week. Both outcomes would eliminate the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, respectively, should the Bengals win their game in Pittsburgh. Broncos-Chiefs and Dolphins-Jets will each kickoff at 4:25pm ET. 

The Bengals needing to play before both the Broncos and Dolphins makes sense since they'd be eliminated if either won before they took the field. Whether the Bengals win or lose, the Broncos and Dolphins would be guaranteed to play for the final postseason berth. The Broncos get in with a win, and the Dolphins get in with a win and a loss from the Broncos. 

As for the Steelers, they can still win the AFC North and secure the No. 3 seed with a win if the Browns beat the Ravens beforehand. Pittsburgh winning the division would also eliminate Cincinnati from playoff contention. A loss would put the Steelers in the No. 6 seed unless the Los Angeles Chargers lose to the Las Vegas Raiders, which would move them up to the No. 5 seed.

The Bengals will be able to deny the Steelers the AFC North and keep the faith going through Sunday. It all happens Saturday night.