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The Cincinnati Bengals still need help from the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets to make the playoffs but head coach Zac Taylor is confident that he leads one of the best teams in the NFL. After picking up another win in Week 18, Taylor issued a confident take on his current roster.
Taylor said his players are “capable of everything” following the Bengals' fifth straight win to end the regular season. He “promised” that no team in the AFC “wants to see” them in the playoffs, implying that Cincinnati still poses a threat to any team in the league.
“[Our team is] capable of everything,” Taylor said postgame. “They're not going to want to see us in this tournament. I promise you.”
The Bengals have not lost since Week 13 and currently boast one of the best offenses in the league. Barring a 600-yard effort from Jared Goff in Week 18, Joe Burrow will end the year as the NFL's passing yards leader while Ja'Marr Chase led the league in receiving yards. Cincinnati is averaging over 28 points in their last seven games.
In their previous win over the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Burrow set an NFL record as the first quarterback to throw for over 250 passing yards and three touchdowns in seven straight games. Chase has been right with him, surpassing 90 receiving yards in the team's final five games of the year.
Burrow and Chase have not been the only Bengals to hit their stride late in the year. Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki and Trey Hendrickson have all turned it on late to lead Cincinnati in its last-ditch effort to make the playoffs.
How Zac Taylor, Bengals can make playoffs in Week 18
The Bengals have clung to slim playoff hopes for weeks but are now down to needing just two outcomes to make the postseason. However unlikely they may be, Cincinnati still has a chance to slip into the Wild Card picture after its rough start to the year.
After beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, the Bengals need both the Broncos and Miami Dolphins to lose. The Broncos are facing the Chiefs, who have already clinched the No. 1 seed and are resting most of their starters. The Dolphins will play the 4-12 Jets without Tua Tagovailoa.
The Broncos control their own fate, as a win gives them the final playoff spot. The Dolphins need a win and a Denver loss to sneak in, while the Bengals have the lowest odds, needing both teams to lose. Both Miami and Denver are closing as the betting favorites in Week 18.
