Playoffs? For the 3-6 Cincinnati Bengals? The Bengals, who have the worst defense since the forward pass was invented (or so)? The same Bengals that scored 80 points over two games and walked away with two losses? Those Bengals? Playoffs??

Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals' playoffs have begun. It's officially win-or-go-home season with the bye week in the rearview. The AFC North is, overall, a mess, so it's looking like a one-bid division, barring abject chaos.

Are the Bengals going to the playoffs this year? Probably not. However, with the team opening the 21-day practice window for Joe Burrow following his Grade III tear that required surgery, there has been a jolt of optimism. The team has three weeks to decide whether or not Burrow will be activated. If not, he will be done for the year.

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