Bengals Remaining 2021-2022 Schedule Outlook

The Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) are coming off a statement win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sunday. They dominated the Steelers on both sides of the ball and won by a score of 41-10.

Next week will be Week 13 of this NFL regular season which gives the Bengals six more games to prove their worth and make the playoffs. There is a lot of football left, but the Bengals have put themselves in a great position going into the final stretch of the season.

Let’s look at the remaining schedule for the Bengals and the key games that they need to win to make the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule - Bengals

Next week, the Bengals will stay home to face the Los Angeles Chargers, who are 6-5 for a 1 pm EST kickoff. The Bengals will finish off the homestand against the San Francisco 49ers, who hold the same record as the Chargers at 6-5.

On December 19, the Bengals will travel to Denver to face the 6-5 Broncos, who are in a tight contest in the AFC West. This will be a tough game on the road in a tough atmosphere with the altitude change in Denver.

The Bengals will return home for games against the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) and the Kansas City Chiefs (7-4). This will most likely be two crucial games in a critical part of the season against two very talented teams currently leading their divisions.

The last game of the season will be against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. The Browns are currently 6-6 and lost to the Ravens in a close one in Week 12.

Must Win Matchups

Every divisional game left is a key win for the Bengals. They are currently 2-0 against the Steelers, 1-0 against the Ravens, and 0-1 against the Browns with two divisional games left. Out of the two left, the Baltimore Ravens game is most important since they are leading the division, but the Bengals need to focus on winning at least one of those matchups.

The other matchups that are must-wins include both the matchups against the Chargers and 49ers. Both teams have the same record, but these are home games that the Bengals will need to use the 12th man to get the momentum in those games.

I think it’s safe to say that the Bengals need to win at least three out of their last six games to feel comfortable getting a wild card spot. The Bengals could get away with two potentially, but I think that is the comfortable number. Four or more wins could make for the Bengals winning the division or getting a first-round bye.

Conclusion

The problem with the Bengals schedule is that all of the teams outside of the Chargers and the Browns are on win streaks and are getting hot at the worst time for the Bengals. Many things can happen in the next coming weeks to make the scenarios change based on the current records, but it is looking to be a tough road ahead for the Bengals.

Nonetheless, the Bengals are playing great football and winning the games they need to be winning to keep them in a playoff position going into the final third of the season.