3 teams that stand in the Bengals way to make the playoffs

1. Los Angeles Chargers 

The Chargers are flying under the radar a little bit. They aren't playing particularly amazing by any stretch, but they are still 6-5 and are usually in many close games. The Chargers, a lot like the Bengals, are just sitting there and hoping to handle their business and let the AFC East work itself out. 

The Chargers and Bengals will not see each other this season, so the tiebreaker between these two teams would be division and conference records if it were to come down to it. Now with so much still to change, it isn't worth diving into those records just yet.

The Chargers are a team that the Bengals should keep an eye on because they are a squad that Cincinnati needs to outlast potentially. The Chargers don't have the hardest schedule left, but they still do have games against the Dolphins and the Titans on the road, which could present some tough challenges to the Los Angeles squad. 

Between the Chargers, Patriots, Jets, and even the Bills, the Bengals know the teams that they need to beat out. If they can put the Ravens in that mix that would be even better because the rest would not matter besides potential playoff matchups. But these are the key teams that could threaten the chance of the Bengals making or missing the postseason.