Bengals' playoff chances avoid the worst but don't get much help during Week 12 bye

The Cincinnati Bengals could only watch this week as the rest of the AFC fought for playoff positioning. Three games in particular stood out as it pertains to the Bengals' slim chances at making the postseason.

Unfortunately, two of them didn't go in Cincinnati's favor. 

The Bengals had a 19% chance of making the postseason Sunday morning according to The Athletic's model. Let's take a look at where that percentage lies after Sunday's slate.

Bengals' playoff chances after Week 12 bye

The Bengals needed the Detroit Lions to beat the Indianapolis Colts, the Las Vegas Raiders to beat the Denver Broncos, and the New England Patriots to beat the Miami Dolphins for Cincinnati's playoff chances to see a big boost.

Detroit did defeat Indianapolis, but both Las Vegas and New England fell in their respective games. Denver moved to 7-5 and maintains the seventh seed in the AFC Playoff Picture while Miami now holds the eighth seed, the first one on the outside looking in. Indianapolis is now 5-7 and holds the ninth seed.

And in the 10th spot is Cincinnati, still at 4-7 on the year. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans are right behind them at 3-8. 

In terms of the numbers, the Lions' win may've prevented the Bengals' percentage chances from dropping too far. The Athletic's model gives them an 18% chance at clinching a playoff spot now, so only a 1% decrease from this morning.

Five of the Bengals' six remaining games are against fellow AFC teams. One game against the Titans, one against the Browns, one against the Broncos, and two against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All of them will matter greatly, but the team they could feasibly pass in the standings are the Broncos. That game in Week 17 will be of upmost importance if the Bengals are still alive in the playoff race.