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Cincinnati's
playoff hopes hinge on their Week 16 meeting with the Steelers. No
pressure or anything.
Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals hopes
hinge on week 16 win
CINCINNATI- Though the Cincinnati Bengals have two games ahead of them,
only this Sunday's contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers is of any
immediate consequence. With a win in Pittsburgh, they clinch themselves
a playoff spot at the very least. A win against the Steelers and a
victory in Week 17 over the Baltimore Ravens and the Bengals clinch the
AFC North title.
However, a loss the Steelers means that beating the Ravens won't matter
much when it comes to Cincinnati's playoff hopes—at least based on how
things presently stand. This week is the one that will define the
Bengals season, the one that confirms whether the team is on the right
track instead of still being on the erratic path they've forged for
decades.
The Bengals haven't reached the playoffs in consecutive years since the
1981 and 1982 seasons (the latter being shortened by a strike), and
they haven't had a playoff win since 1990. Defeating the Steelers will
bring the former streak to an end; the latter will have to wait two
weeks.
Over the course of this season, the Bengals have not been the NFL's
most consistent team. After a four-game losing earlier in the season,
they then won four straight before splitting their last two contests.
But these past two games say more about the Bengals and their season
than the two streaks that made up the eight weeks prior.
Read the rest of the article at The Bleacher Report
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