The Bengals, current runners-up in the NFL, are one of the nine teams in the competition that have their ticket to the playoffs secured with two weeks to go until the end of the regular phase of the season and in which 14 franchises arrive with chances of qualify for the postseason.
Week 16 gets underway this Thursday at Nissan Stadium, where the Titans, second in the South of the American Conference, are risking a large part of their chances to advance against some Cowboys who reach said commitment with the ticket in their pocket. , but also with the aspiration to win to stay in the fight to take over the East of the National, which at the moment is in the hands of the Eagles.
Patriots-Dolphins, Buccaneers-Panthers and Seahawks-Jets are the three games on Sunday in which the two teams fight to get a place in the playoffs, an instance that the current Rams monarchs will not dispute by marching third in the West of the Conference Nacional with a record of five wins and 10 losses, surpassed by the 49ers (11-4) and the Seahawks (7-8).
Although mathematically they are not eliminated, the Steelers have the situation quite uphill. The Pittsburgh team must defeat the Ravens on the weekend and the Browns in Week 18 to finish the regular season with a 9-8 record. But coming out unscathed in their last two games would not be enough for those led by Mike Tomlin, since they would also require a defeat for the Dolphins, with whom they would lose the tiebreaker, since the Florida entity arrives with a record of eight victories and seven falls to the penultimate day
In contrast, the Vikings, Chiefs and 49ers arrive as the only champion squads in their respective divisions: Minnesota in the North of the National Conference (12-3), San Francisco in the West of the NFC (11-4) and Kansas City in the American West (12-3).
The closing in the South of the National Conference will be screaming, since it is the only division in which the four members have a chance of being champions in their area and accessing the postseason. The Buccaneers (7-8) slightly lead the Panthers and the Saints, both with 6 wins and 9 losses, who barely surpass the Falcons (5-10).
Last postseason, the Packers came up short, losing to San Francisco in the divisional round. This Sunday, Green Bay, third in the NFC North, has a vital duel in their aspirations to advance at home at Lambeau Field against the already classified and division leaders Vikings.
The activity of the penultimate week will conclude next Monday, January 2 at the Paul Brown Stadium, where the runners-up Bengals will receive the Bills, who will seek their first conference championship since 1993, after losing the final against the Chiefs in 2020. , while in 2021 they also fell to Kansas City, but in the divisional round.
The playoffs are scheduled to begin on January 14 with the first games corresponding to the wild card round. The Super Bowl will take place on February 12, 2023 at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
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In the NFL, 15 teams fight for 5 playoff spots