Bills jump Chiefs into spot no. 2; Commanders and 49ers continue to slide

The best the Bengals can finish now is 10-7, and that requires them to run the table from here, with two games remaining against the Steelers. The playoff dream isn’t dead, but it’s definitely on life support. Early in Sunday night’s thriller, everything went the way of the Chargers, and anyone watching could see how disgusted Joe Burrow and the gang looked as the Bengals fell into a 27-6 hole. Amazingly, not only did they pull out of it, tying the game at 27-all, but the Bengals definitely looked like the better team at the time, almost destined for an all-time comeback. Instead, they took what was most likely another step toward missing the postseason, and it happened in the stadium where their Super Bowl hopes were dashed a few years ago. At their best, the Bengals can hang with just about anyone in the NFL. At their worst, they are equally capable of giving games away. It has unfortunately become the theme of the season: close, painful losses caused by self-inflicted wounds.