Bengals' playoff hopes can be put to bed after crushing Week 13 loss to Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes are on life supporting following the team's crushing 44-38 Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cincinnati's postseason hopes hinged almost entirely on the outcome of the contest, and unfortunately the Bengals were unable to take care of business. As a result, any remaining optimism regarding Cincinnati's current campaign has been all but extinguished.

What the numbers say about Cincinnati's playoff chances

Heading into the matchup, the Bengals had about a 13 percent chance of qualifying for postseason play, according to the New York Times' updating playoff simulator, which runs hundreds of thousands of simulations to determine the most likely playoff outcomes. They also largely controlled their own destiny, as they had a 94 percent chance of making the playoffs if they won out, according to the team's website. But, all that has changed.

After the loss to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati's playoff odds dropped dramatically to below two percent. So, while the Bengals aren't yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, their postseason hopes are dead for all intents and purposes. They also no longer control their own destiny, and will need some serious outside help, even if they win out.

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The Bengals now sit at 4-8 on the season, and they have five regular season contests remaining. Those remaining games will come against the Dallas Cowboys (on Monday Night Football), Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and then the Steelers again to close out the season.

At best, the Bengals could finish the season with a record of 9-8, but that's only if they don't lose again the rest of the way, and that seems pretty unlikely given the way the season has gone so far. A below .500 finish is the more likely outcome.

The Bengals have shown us time and again this season that they're simply not a playoff football team. Many didn't want to believe it because of the individual greatness of Joe Burrow, but one player can only do so much, and the Bengals have some major holes -- like the offensive line and the entire defense.

With over a month left in the season, the Bengals aren't going to give up and neither should fans, but it is time for both sides to start thinking about how the team can be improved over the offseason.