Bengals’ gutsy win vs. Raiders showed blueprint for making playoffs in AFC

On a pivotal third-down play in the fourth quarter, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow found rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase open in the back left corner in the end zone.

The same could be said for two fellow AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, two teams that also gutted out victories.

The Bengals’ recent tailspin that put them squarely in the midfield of a jam-packed AFC playoff race started with the inability to put away a sputtering team.

Those points allowed Cincinnati to stay ahead in the fourth quarter even after the Raiders had a three-play touchdown drive, Las Vegas’ only good offensive moments of the day.

The Ravens, without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, escaped with a 16-13 victory over a 3-7 Chicago Bears team that lost rookie starting quarterback Justin Fields to a rib injury in the first half.

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