Playoffs?! You kidding me?

No Jim Mora, we're not. The Cincinnati Bengals are now back in the AFC Playoff Picture after starting the season 1-3. Winning four straight will do that for you.

Where does Cincinnati stand after eight games in the playoff race? Let's break it down from the top.

Playoff picture for the Bengals if the season ended today:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) – 1st AFC West
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2) – 1st AFC North
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) – 1st AFC South
4. Miami Dolphins (6-3) – 1st AFC East
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) – Wild Card
6. Cleveland Browns (5-3) – Wild Card
7. Houston Texans (5-4) – Wild Card

In the hunt:

• Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
• Buffalo Bills (5-5)
• Los Angeles Charges (4-4)
• New York Jets (4-4)
• Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
• Las Vegas Raiders (4-5)

The AFC North remarkably has all four teams making the playoffs if the season concluded today, and Cincinnati would have to play the lone divisional matchup in the Wild Card round against Baltimore. 

Will the Bengals make the playoffs?

The odds are pointing towards yes, for now. Cincinnati increased its chances at making a third straight postseason appearance to 65.4% following Sunday night's victory over the Bills, according to SumerSports.com, and that tiebreaker can come in handy at the end of the season. Plenty more AFC games are in store for the Bengals this season, and they'll need virtually every single one. 

Can Cincinnati win the AFC North?

This is where things get tough. The Ravens have a 1.5-game lead on the division and they’re the only team that hasn’t had their week off. They've also beaten the Bengals already, as have the 5-3 Browns. 

Cincinnati will play both teams again in the second half of the season as well as Pittsburgh twice, so four wins in the division is still on the table despite how daunting of a task that may seem. It might just have to happen in order for the Bengals to repeat as champions. SumerSports gives them a 14% chance, the second-highest figure in the division behind the Ravens (68%). 

Bengals’ remaining schedule:

• at Baltimore Ravens
• vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
• at Jacksonville Jaguars
• vs. Indianapolis Colts
• vs. Minnesota Vikings
• at Pittsburgh Steelers
• at Kansas City Chiefs
• vs. Cleveland Browns

Check out the rest of our Bengals midseason articles:

• The MVPs of the Bengals at the midseason point
• How all three phases of the Bengals grade out after the first half of the year
• Three bold predictions for the Bengals' final nine games
• Bengals have been letdown by one of their young starters
• Historic free agent signing is paying off in a big way for Bengals
• Bengals' biggest roster need looked like a strength in latest win

Bengals’ Joe Burrow is playing at an all-time level that only a Hall of Famer can relate to

Burrow is on an absolute heater that hasn’t been seen in a decade.