The Cincinnati Bengals welcomed star quarterback Joe Burrow back into the fold in Week 13, and they promptly looked like the team everyone was expecting them to be entering the season. Burrow led the Bengals to a 32-14 victory over the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens that quickly reignited their playoff hopes.
With a 4-8 record, things aren’t looking great for the Bengals, but they were a completely different team with Burrow under center on Thanksgiving Day. Now that he’s back on the field, Burrow and Cincy have one goal: reach the playoffs. However, the superstar passer kept it real when discussing his team’s postseason chances after this big win.
Joe Burrow Dishes on Bengals’ Playoff Hopes
After a couple of years of slow starts, the Bengals got off to a 2-0 start in the 2025 campaign. The problem is that Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in the team’s Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that required surgery, and he was finally able to make his return to action in Week 13. Cincy promptly looked dominant, and the playoff conversation suddenly sparked up again.
The problem is that, during Burrow’s absence, Cincinnati won just one game. While it had several winnable games on its slate, the Bengals simply could not deliver the goods, whether it was due to a lackluster offensive performance or a defense that simply could not get off the field. That has put the team in a very deep hole that it now has to find a way to dig itself out of.
With Burrow leading the offense, it’s safe to assume that unit is going to be OK moving forward. And while the defense has had its fair share of struggles, it has looked much better in recent weeks. The Bengals know what they are capable of, but with only five games left, Burrow admitted that the team’s goal of finding its way into the postseason is going to be easier said than done.
“We know the guys we have in the locker room,” Burrow said after the game. “We know what we have in front of us; it’s certainly not going to be easy. But the way our defense has played the last several weeks, I think, has been extremely positive.”
Could the Bengals Actually Sneak Into the 2025 Playoffs?
GettyJoe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals.
With a 4-8 record and just five games left, it’s not a stretch to say that Cincinnati needs to win out in order to have any sort of shot at making the playoffs. Difficult games against the Buffalo Bills and Ravens loom in Weeks 14 and 15, but the team’s final three contests are 100% winnable. If Cincy can beat Buffalo and Baltimore, it will have a real shot at making the postseason.
With the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers struggling atop the AFC North, the door has been left open for the Bengals to improbably win the division, despite being without their star quarterback for the majority of the season. Winning out isn’t going to be easy, but with Burrow back in action, anything feels possible. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cincinnati make one last push for a playoff spot over the next few weeks.
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