TL;DR
- Cincinnati Bengals face Baltimore Ravens in crucial AFC North Thanksgiving game.
- Bengals have playoff aspirations despite 4-8 record and potential Joe Burrow return.
- Winning division title is more attainable than wild-card berth for Cincinnati.
- Bengals need strong performance against Ravens and remaining tough schedule.
The Cincinnati Bengals are set to face the Baltimore Ravens in a significant AFC North matchup during Week 13. This contest marks the conclusion of the day's three games on Thanksgiving and represents the initial encounter between these division rivals in the current season.
With a 3-8 record, the Bengals are currently 12th in the AFC playoff standings. While Cincinnati is close to being eliminated, there's optimism that quarterback Joe Burrow might return for Their Week 13 contest. The team has secured only two victories since Burrow's injury, one of which was in Week 2 when he first sustained it.
Despite a dismal 1-8 record over their last nine contests, Cincinnati still harbors playoff aspirations in the AFC. The Bengals not only remain in contention for a playoff spot but also mathematically possess the capability to secure the AFC North title and a top-four playoff seeding.
Here is more on the Bengals' playoff chances heading into Week 13.
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Bengals playoff picture
While Cincinnati trails more teams in the AFC playoff standings than it precedes, a postseason berth remains attainable. The Bengals are embarking on a crucial period, commencing this stretch with a victory against the Ravens on Thanksgiving Day.
If the Bengals were to beat the Ravens a second time and beat the Browns later in Week 18, they would have a 5-1 division record and an important tiebreaker if needed.
While the Bengals retain a theoretical possibility of securing a wild-card berth, they remain significantly behind all three wild-card contenders, a gap wider than that separating them from the AFC North's top team. Their prospects are considerably brighter, and they require less external assistance to clinch the AFC North title.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | New England Patriots | 10-2 |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | 9-2 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | 8-3 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-5 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 7-4 |
| 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-4 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | 7-4 |
| 8 | Houston Texans | 6-5 |
| 9 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6-6 |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-6 |
| 11 | Miami Dolphins | 4-7 |
| 12 | Cincinnati Bengals | 4-8 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns | 3-8 |
| 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-9 |
| 15 | New York Jets | 2-9 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | 1-10 |
AFC North standings
| Rank | Team | Record | GB |
| 1 | Steelers | 6-5 | -- |
| 2 | Ravens | 6-6 | 0.5 |
| 3 | Bengals | 4-8 | 2.5 |
| 4 | Browns | 3-8 | 3.0 |
The Bengals trail the Steelers by 2.5 games and Ravens by two games in the AFC North. The gap between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh can narrow to just two games if the Steelers lose to the Bills on Sunday.
Bengals remaining schedule
Cincinnati faces challenging matchups ahead, including a Week 14 game against Buffalo and a subsequent Week 15 rematch with Baltimore.
The aspiration is for The Bengals to achieve a 2-0 record during this period, improving their standing to 6-8. This would position Cincinnati for a concluding three-game series against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns, whose collective record stands at 10-23.
| Week | Opponent |
| 14 | at Bills |
| 15 | vs. Ravens |
| 16 | at Dolphins |
| 17 | vs. Cardinals |
| 18 | vs. Browns |
MORE: Meet Joe Burrow's family tree, including Packer dad Jim