Despite a slow start to the season, the Cincinnati Bengals have rattled off four straight wins and somehow find themselves at .500. Granted, three of those wins were against backup quarterbacks and bottom-feeder opponents. But, at the end of the day you have to play whoever is in front of you. Besides, they did finally beat a quality opponent in the Denver Broncos, who sit at 9-7 and currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
Despite a surge late in the year, the annual early-season miscues and the inability to finish games throughout the year have cost the Bengals the ability to control their own destiny. There is still a path to the playoffs, but it isn't as simple as win-and-in. For Cincinnati to claim that last wild card spot, they'll need some help from the Jets to beat (or tie with) the Dolphins, and-- rather ironically, considering the rivalry that has fostered between them over the last few seasons-- they'll need some help from the Chiefs to beat the Broncos.
Of course, this is assuming they can beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night. Some may say it's improbable that all these things fall into place and the Bengals won't get into the postseason, but at least the Bengals are playing meaningful football late into the season, which didn't seem like would be the case just a month ago when they were four games below .500. Draft position is already out the window, so the only thing to root for now is a win and a couple of things to go their way.
With that in mind, here are a few players on other teams that we'd like to see go off to help get the Bengals into the playoffs, assuming they handle their own business against the Steelers.
Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
With the first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs secured, the Kansas City Chiefs will be resting starters in their regular season finale against a Denver Broncos team looking to punch their ticket to the postseason. This news alone causes the Bengals' playoff hopes to take a hit, as they absolutely need the Chiefs to beat Denver in order to squeak into that 7th seed. However, the nail isn't in the coffin yet.
For one, we don't know how many starters they will be resting. Obviously, key players like Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, etc. will be sitting out so they'll be preserved for the playoffs, but some low-end starters could be kept in. Furthermore, Carson Wentz, while certainly a far cry from his MVP-caliber 2017 version, is still one of the more capable backup quarterbacks in the league, and is likely looking to prove himself as he prepares to enter free agency this offseason, potentially getting attention from some quarterback-hungry teams.
If it was someone like Tim Boyle or, as we saw on Sunday, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Bengals playoff chances would be more in doubt, but while Wentz is certainly no Mahomes, he should be competent enough to give the Chiefs' backups and, by turn, the Bengals a shot against the Broncos. Hopefully...
Breece Hall, Running back, New York Jets
At face value, Breece Hall has had a disappointing year. After showing a lot of flash in his rookie and sophomore seasons in the NFL, it doesn't look like he will crack 1,000 yards rushing-- which would have been the first time in his career had he done it-- despite only missing one game this season. On top of that, Hall has only gone over 100 rushing yards in one game this year.
While it's easy to look at the stats and say that, it's important to add context. According to TeamRankings, the Jets call the third-most passing plays of any team, just below the Browns and Bengals, which would explain his underwhelming production. On top of that, Hall hasn't been given 20 attempts in one game this season, and has only cracked 15 attempts in 6 of the 15 games he's played.
For comparison, Chase Brown, who was relegated to RB2 during the first half of the season before Zack Moss' injury, has had 20 or more attempts in 4 games this year.
There's been maybe two games this season where Aaron Rodgers has looked like himself. Father Time is undefeated, and it has come for the future first ballot hall-of-famer. So, when it comes down to it, the Bengals' playoff hopes may come down to Hall's legs rather than Rodgers' arm. Either way, it won't be easy. The Dolphins' offense may have seen immense turmoil for the weeks that Tua was out, but that defense has remained solid throughout the year.
They consistenly rank in the top 10 across many categories, including being 9th in passing yards allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game, and points allowed per game. It's a solid unit that will give a dormant Jets offense trouble. Relying on the passing game clearly hasn't worked for New York, hence the 4-12 record and a bottom 10 offense, so they may shift more responsibility to Hall to close out the season.
While winning gains them nothing, it does knock a divisional rival out of the playoffs, so let's hope they're motivated by pettiness.
Sauce Gardner, Cornerback, New York Jets
Speaking of disappointing and underwhelming seasons, let's get to the last player in this article, Sauce Gardner. The former Cincinnati Bearcat got off to an amazing start to his career, wnning DROY as well as being a 1st-team All-Pro in his rookie and sophomore seasons, leading the league in passes defended in his rookie year, and widely being recognized as one of the league's top young cornerbacks, alongside the likes of Pat Surtain, Trent McDuffie, Jaycee Horn, etc.
However, 2024 has been a down season for Sauce, at least by his standards. While not bad, his 73.1 PFF coverage grade ranks 32nd among all cornerbacks, which is lower than what you'd expect from someone of his caliber. Something else that isn't bad, but is worse than you'd expect from a player who was definitively a top 5 cornerback in the league just a year prior is his passer rating allowed. It currently sits at a career-high 87.7, which, again, isn't abysmal-- it's better than the passer rating allowed for any outside corner on the Bengals this season, DJ Turner II having the best with a 91.0-- but it just isn't as good as one would expect.
And for their season finale, Gardner will have his hands full as the Jets take on the Miami Dolphins, who have immense talent at their skill positions. After missing their first meeting early in December, the former Bearcat will be matched up with speedster Tyreek Hill and likely Jaylen Waddle as well. As daunting as a task this is, especially if Tua is good to go, Gardner isn't a husk of himself like some online may claim, he's just having a down year.
The Cincinnati product can do the city one more favor if he can lock up the dynamic Miami duo and help his team beat the Dolphins this next Sunday,