The Cincinnati Bengals could only watch from afar as their playoff hopes were extinguished on Sunday.
There, the Kansas City Chiefs trotted out backups against the Denver Broncos and were promptly blown out, 38-0. That result sends the Broncos to the seventh and final seed in the AFC playoffs.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals took care of business on Saturday night with the Week 18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale. But they needed Jets and Chiefs upsets to slip in as the last and final seed.
The Bengals finished the season on a five-game tear, winning more games in the final five weeks than they had over the first 13. They desperately needed to not drop the opener against three-win New England, a one-point loss to Kansas City or both games to Baltimore by a combined total of four points, to name a few close outcomes.
Rest assured, the slow starts under head coach Zac Taylor will once again be a major point of conversation this offseason.