It’s Year 3 of the 17-game NFL schedule and there are a record seven NFL teams sitting at 7-6 and hoping to advance to the playoffs.
The Cincinnati Bengals have won two straight with backup quarterback Jake Browning stepping in for the injured Joe Burrow to become one of those teams. The Bengals are heading into difficult matchups with four teams with winning records in Minnesota (7-6), Pittsburgh (7-6), Kansas City (8-5) and Cleveland (8-5).
To aid your Ohio sports betting with four weeks left in the NFL season, BetOhio.com utilized Champsorchumps.us to find out how every NFL team that was 7-6 after Week 14 finished the past few seasons.
How 7-6 Teams Have Finished
The Bengals Super Bowl odds are tied with the L.A. Rams at +15000.
Good Paths to Follow
Five of the 11 teams sitting at 7-6 after Week 14 in the first two years of the 17-game season have advanced to the playoffs and one of those teams was the 2021 Bengals.
Last year, the Chargers went 3-1 in the final four games, while the Seahawks were 2-2 and still made it. Both teams lost in the Wild Card round, as the Jaguars beat the Chargers 31-30 in one of the best games of the year, and the Seahawks fell 41-23 to Brock Purdy’s San Francisco 49ers.
The shining examples stepped up in the first year of the 17-game season in 2021. Three of the six teams sitting at 7-6 after Week 14 advanced to the playoffs and all won at least one playoff game. The Buffalo Bills went 4-0 to end the season, beating the Patriots 47-17 in the Wild Card round before losing 42-36 in overtime to the Chiefs.
The 49ers and Bengals both went 3-1 to finish the season, but both saw their seasons end to the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco beat L.A. both times in the regular season, including 27-24 in the season finale, but it lost 20-17 in the NFC Championship Game.
The Bengals knocked off the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game a week after K.C.’s classic win over Buffalo. Cincinnati then lost the Super Bowl 23-20 to Matthew Stafford and the Rams.
The Bengals open their tough four-game stretch as a 3-point favorite on Saturday at home against Minnesota according to BetMGM Ohio. A win there will be needed with the AFC North showdowns against the Steelers and Browns surrounding the Week 17 game with the Chiefs.
Ohio sportsbook apps list Baltimore as the overwhelming favorite to win the AFC North at -1000. Cincinnati has the worst odds in the division at +10000.
