Tag: 2024 NFL Playoffs

Bengals suddenly look alive in playoff race thanks to upcoming schedule

The Bengals might just be able to make a shot at a playoff run.

The Cincinnati Bengals are suddenly very much alive in the AFC playoff conversation.

Make no mistake, it’s still a long shot. But taking down a Jacksonville team on Monday night that had dreams of stealing the AFC’s top seed — while a backup threw for 300-plus yards — has made things interesting.

So, too, does the remaining schedule.

First, the updated AFC standings:

  1. Miami (9-3)
  2. Baltimore (9-3)
  3. Kansas City (8-4)
  4. Jacksonville (8-4)
  5. Pittsburgh (7-5)
  6. Cleveland (7-5)
  7. Indianapolis (7-5)
  8. Houston (7-5)
  9. Denver (6-6)
  10. Cincinnati (6-6)
  11. Buffalo (6-6)

When four teams have just one more win ahead of them, the Bengals aren’t entirely out of it. Keep in mind they play four of those teams between now and season’s end, too.

That remaining schedule could feature games against four backup passers, too:

  • Week 14: vs. Colts (Gardner Minshew)
  • Week 15: vs. Vikings (Josh Dobbs)
  • Week 16: at Steelers (Mitch Trubisky)
  • Week 17: at Chiefs (Pat Mahomes)
  • Week 18: vs. Browns (Joe Flacco)

The Bengals need to hit on a combo to keep winning: The offense needs to keep looking good around Jake Browning’s skillset and the defense needs to, well, wake up.

But with that schedule and the bunched-up standings? The Bengals aren’t dead just yet.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

NFL will stream playoff game exclusively on Peacock

A possible future Bengals playoff game could be impacted here.

The NFL announced Monday that it will be venturing further into live streaming, making Peacock the first streaming platform to have exclusive rights to a playoff game.

The game will be a Wild Card primetime slot on January 13, 2024, so if the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs without a bye, their first game could possibly be streamed only on Peacock.

The Bengals will have four primetime games in the 2023 regular season so it’s entirely possible they would be put into this slot in the playoffs.

A Peacock subscription is at least $4.99 per month, so fans may need to open their wallets if they don’t already subscribe, and the Bengals are slotted into that spot.

The NFL has streamed regular season games exclusively on other platforms, but this will be the first time a playoff game has been streamed.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

NFL fans were furious that a playoff game will be a streaming exclusively on Peacock

You’ll have to buy a Peacock subscription to watch one of the Wild Card games this coming season.

The streaming era is fast approaching in the sports world, and we’ve seen some of the top events become a bit less accessible to viewers in recent years.

Now, NFL fans will have to buy a subscription to NBC’s Peacock streaming platform to watch one of the Wild Card playoff games beginning this coming season with the debut on January 13, 2024.

It’s far from an unprecedented move. Currently, Thursday Night Football is exclusively aired on Amazon Prime Video — another subscription-based streaming platform — and other sports have seen similar changes. The English Premier League, for example, has some games that are only available on Peacock.

But this will be the first time that an NFL playoff game has been exclusive to a streaming platform, and naturally, a lot of fans were not pleased to hear the news.