The Denver Broncos may have lost the battle a couple of weeks ago against the Cincinnati Bengals, but they ultimately won the war when it comes to making the NFL playoffs.
The Bengals did all they could at the end of the year to make a playoff push, winning five straight games to close out the season including a 30-24 victory over the Denver Broncos in a thrilling overtime game in Cincinnati. But doing all they could at the end of the season wasn't enough.
I said it on a number of occasions, but as worried as Broncos fans were about the team potentially blowing it down the stretch this season, both the Dolphins and Bengals would have traded places with Denver in a heartbeat given the fact that they both needed help to get in the playoffs, and the Broncos controlled their own fate with three games to play.
And ultimately, getting a couple of mulligans down the stretch was huge for Denver. Had circumstances been different and the Kansas City Chiefs played their starters in Week 18, who knows how different things might have been. Who cares? The Broncos won 10 games and the Bengals won nine, leaving Cincinnati out of the postseason despite their hot streak.
And the Hard Knocks crew for HBO was there on the scene to capture it all.
Watch as Hard Knocks captures Broncos knocking Bengals out of the playoffs
From Hard Knocks: The Bengals reaction to the Broncos eliminating them 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/OLX5ld3MEQ
— WINCINNATI (@WINCINNATI_) January 8, 2025
The, "How 'bout those...CHIEFS!" at the end of the clip is especially torturous. Had the Bengals made the playoffs and continued their winning streak, their second game would have been at the place they have lovingly labeled "Burrow-head" for how well Joe Burrow has played on the road against KC in his career.
They'll just have to settle for more watch parties now that their season is officially over.
The Bengals, just like the Broncos, were absolutely brutal this season in one-score games. And just like the Broncos, they also struggled against teams with above .500 records.
The difference between the Broncos and Bengals this past year was simple: The Broncos nearly beat (clobbered) every inferior opponent they played against. The Broncos beat every team on their schedule that ended this year with a losing record while the Bengals lost their season-opener to the New England Patriots.
Funny to think how that game in Week 1 might have been the one loss the Bengals simply couldn't afford to have all year long. Jacoby Brissett, the now-fired Jerod Mayo, and the flippin' New England Patriots.
Better luck next year to the Bengals.