For the first time since 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals are in the playoffs and the AFC North champions.
On Sunday at PBS, the Cats beat the previously top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs 34-31. The Bengals trailed by 14 midway through the second quarter.
Tied at 31 with six minutes to play in the contest, Cincinnati drove 79 yards down to the one-yard line. The Bengals failed on multiple attempts to punch the ball into the end zone. However, Evan McPherson kicked the game winning 20-yard field goal as time expired.
Ja’Marr Chase had a record setting day, not once, but twice. His 266 yards Sunday on 11 catches with three touchdowns are the most yards in a single NFL game by any rookie wide receiver. The 266 also gives Chase 1429 for the year which also is now an NFL rookie single season record from the Super Bowl era.
Bengal QB Joe Burrow made headlines again as he completed 30 of 39 passes for 466 yards and no interceptions. This marks the first time ever an NFL quarterback, in consecutive games, has thrown for at least 400 yards and four TDs with no picks.
Burrow’s 466 yards gives him 4611 for the season surpassing the previous season record held by Andy Dalton. Joey Jackpot’s four touchdowns gives him 34 for the year, breaking yet another former team record held by the Red Rifle.
Cincinnati is now 10-6 and remains the three seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Bengals will play at Cleveland this coming Sunday. Kansas City falls to 11-5 and down to the second seed. Tennessee moves up into the top slot with a week to go.
Meanwhile the Indianapolis Colts game at home against Las Vegas also ended on a game winning field goal. Unfortunately, it was the Raiders Daniel Carlson who kicked it. Tied at 20, Vegas drove 60 yards in nine plays to set up the 33-yard game winner by Carlson. Indy lost 23-20.
However, the Colts are still the sixth seed and can make the playoffs with a win over the hapless Jaguars in Jacksonville this coming Sunday.
As an aside, there is a chance the Bengals and Colts could meet in Cincinnati for the first round of the playoffs two weeks from now. We’ll see what happens in Week 18.
But back to Indy yesterday, the Colts Jonathan Taylor rushed for 108 yards and a TD, giving him 1734 yards for the season. That breaks the former franchise single season rushing yards record held by Edgerrin James.