We wrote a couple overly complicated posts this explaining that the Bengals could possibly pass the Patriots to become the third seed even if the Bengals lost.
That’s no longer true after early results Sunday.
The Patriots have clinched the strength of victory tiebreak over the Bengals. (The Colts’ loss to the Bills was a big factor.)
That means that the Bengals will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC with a win over the Jets, and the No. 4 seed with a loss.
And that bit of information increases the odds that there will be at least one Week 17 rematch in the AFC next week.