2017 Cincinnati Bengals season

2017 Cincinnati Bengals season
Owner	Mike Brown
Head coach	Marvin Lewis
Home field	Paul Brown Stadium
Results
Record	7–9
Division place	3rd AFC North
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	WR A. J. Green DT Geno Atkins
Uniform
← 2016 Bengals seasons 2018 →

The 2017 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 50th overall and their 15th under head coach Marvin Lewis. After starting 0–2, scoring only 9 points, and not scoring any touchdowns in their first two games, the Bengals fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Zampese.^[1] The Bengals suffered back to back losing seasons for the first time since 2007–2008. However, the Bengals were able to knock off two teams contending for the playoffs at the end of their season, the Detroit Lions in Week 16, and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17 which helped the Buffalo Bills reach the postseason for the first time since 1999.

Position	Player	2017 Team	Date signed	Contract
WR	Brandon LaFell	Cincinnati Bengals	March 8[2]	2 years, $10 million
CB	Dre Kirkpatrick	Cincinnati Bengals	March 9[3]	5 years, $52.5 million
LB	Karlos Dansby	Arizona Cardinals	March 9[4]	1 year, $2 million
OT	Andrew Whitworth	Los Angeles Rams	March 9[5]	3 years, $36 million
OG	Kevin Zeitler	Cleveland Browns	March 9[6]	5 years, $60 million
DT	Domata Peko	Denver Broncos	March 11[7]	2 years, $7.5 million
RB	Rex Burkhead	New England Patriots	March 14[8]	1 year, $3.15 million
CB	Chykie Brown
DE	Margus Hunt	Indianapolis Colts	March 14[9]	2 years, $4.1 million
RB	Cedric Peerman	Cincinnati Bengals	March 23[10]	1 year, $1.15 million

Position	Player	Tag	2017 Team	Date signed	Contract
C	T.J. Johnson	RFA	Cincinnati Bengals	March 17[11]	2 years, $3.475M

Position	Player	2016 team	Date signed	Contract
LB	Kevin Minter	Arizona Cardinals	March 20[12]	1 year, $4.25 million
OT	Andre Smith	Minnesota Vikings	March 14[13]	1 year, $3.25 million

Position	Player	2017 team	Contract
WR	James Wright
LB	Rey Maualuga	Miami Dolphins	1 year, $980K
DT	Brandon Thompson
DE	Wallace Gilberry
OT	Eric Winston

2017 Cincinnati Bengals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	9	John Ross	WR	Washington
2	48	Joe Mixon	RB	Oklahoma
3	73	Jordan Willis	DE	Kansas State
4	116	Carl Lawson	DE	Auburn
4	128	Josh Malone	WR	Tennessee
4	138	Ryan Glasgow	DT	Michigan	Compensatory pick
5	153	Jake Elliott	K	Memphis
5	176	J. J. Dielman	C	Utah	Compensatory pick
6	193	Jordan Evans	LB	Oklahoma
6	207	Brandon Wilson	CB	Houston	Compensatory pick
7	251	Mason Schreck	TE	Buffalo	Compensatory pick
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

2017 Cincinnati Bengals staff

Front office President/general manager – Mike Brown Senior vice president of player personnel – Pete Brown Executive vice president – Katie Blackburn Vice president of player personnel – Paul Brown Director of player personnel – Duke Tobin Head coaches Head coach – Marvin Lewis Assistant head coach/offensive line – Paul Alexander Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Ken Zampese (fired Sept 15, 2017) Quarterbacks/interim offensive coordinator - Bill Lazor Running backs – Kyle Caskey Wide receivers – James Urban Tight ends – Jonathan Hayes Offensive assistant/wide receivers – Dan Pitcher Offensive quality control/offensive line – Robert Couch

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Paul Guenther Defensive line – Jacob Burney Linebackers – Jim Haslett Secondary – Kevin Coyle Secondary – Robert Livingston Defensive quality control/assistant linebackers – David Lippincott Defensive quality control/defensive line – Marcus Lewis Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Darrin Simmons Assistant special teams/defensive quality control – Brayden Coombs Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Chip Morton Assistant strength and conditioning – Jeff Friday

2017 Cincinnati Bengals roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Andy Dalton  5 A. J. McCarron Running backs (RB) 25 Giovani Bernard 23 Brian Hill 28 Joe Mixon 39 Jarveon Williams Wide receivers (WR) 83 Tyler Boyd 16 Cody Core 12 Alex Erickson 18 A. J. Green 11 Brandon LaFell 80 Josh Malone Tight ends (TE) 82 Cethan Carter 89 Ryan Hewitt 81 Tyler Kroft 87 C. J. Uzomah

Offensive linemen (OL) 61 Russell Bodine C 65 Clint Boling G 66 Trey Hopkins G 72 Justin Murray T 70 Cedric Ogbuehi T 76 Kent Perkins T 62 Alex Redmond G 63 Christian Westerman G 73 Eric Winston T Defensive linemen (DL) 97 Geno Atkins DT 99 Andrew Billings DT 96 Carlos Dunlap DE 98 Ryan Glasgow DT 90 Michael Johnson DE 92 Pat Sims DT 94 Chris Smith DE 68 Josh Tupou DT 75 Jordan Willis DE

Linebackers (LB) 52 Brandon Bell OLB 55 Vontaze Burfict OLB 50 Jordan Evans OLB 58 Carl Lawson OLB 56 Hardy Nickerson Jr. MLB 57 Vincent Rey MLB Defensive backs (DB) 21 Darqueze Dennard CB 42 Clayton Fejedelem FS 43 George Iloka SS 22 William Jackson CB 27 Dre Kirkpatrick CB 29 Tony McRae CB 20 KeiVarae Russell CB 26 Josh Shaw CB 40 Brandon Wilson SS 36 Shawn Williams FS Special teams  4 Randy Bullock K 46 Clark Harris LS 10 Kevin Huber P

Practice squad 53 Carl Bradford OLB  7 Jon Brown K 47 Connor Harris MLB 77 Javarius Leamon T 67 Oni Omoile G 84 Scott Orndoff TE 31 Sojourn Shelton CB 37 Robenson Therezie SS 17 Kermit Whitfield WR 69 DeShawn Williams DT Reserve 33 Tra Carson RB (IR)  6 Jeff Driskel QB (IR) 85 Tyler Eifert TE (IR) 74 Jake Fisher LT (NF-Ill.) 32 Jeremy Hill RB (IR) 60 T. J. Johnson G (IR) 24 Adam Jones CB (IR) 51 Kevin Minter MLB (IR) 30 Cedric Peerman RB (IR) 15 John Ross WR (IR) 86 Mason Schreck TE (IR) 71 Andre Smith T (IR) 59 Nick Vigil OLB (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 13 reserve, 10 practice squad

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 23–12	1–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
2	August 19	Kansas City Chiefs	L 12–30	1–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
3	August 27	at Washington Redskins	L 17–23	1–2	FedExField	Recap
4	August 31	at Indianapolis Colts	L 6–7	1–3	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 10	Baltimore Ravens	L 0–20	0–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
2	September 14	Houston Texans	L 9–13	0–2	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
3	September 24	at Green Bay Packers	L 24–27 (OT)	0–3	Lambeau Field	Recap
4	October 1	at Cleveland Browns	W 31–7	1–3	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
5	October 8	Buffalo Bills	W 20–16	2–3	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
6	Bye
7	October 22	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 14–29	2–4	Heinz Field	Recap
8	October 29	Indianapolis Colts	W 24–23	3–4	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
9	November 5	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 7–23	3–5	EverBank Field	Recap
10	November 12	at Tennessee Titans	L 20–24	3–6	Nissan Stadium	Recap
11	November 19	at Denver Broncos	W 20–17	4–6	Sports Authority Field at Mile High	Recap
12	November 26	Cleveland Browns	W 30–16	5–6	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
13	December 4	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 20–23	5–7	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
14	December 10	Chicago Bears	L 7–33	5–8	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
15	December 17	at Minnesota Vikings	L 7–34	5–9	U.S. Bank Stadium	Recap
16	December 24	Detroit Lions	W 26–17	6–9	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
17	December 31	at Baltimore Ravens	W 31–27	7–9	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

The Bengals started the season at home against the Ravens. In the first quarter, the Ravens scored as Justin Tucker kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 3–0. They would increase their lead in the second quarter when Joe Flacco found Jeremy Maclin on a 48-yard pass to make it 10–0. This would be followed up by a 2-yard touchdown run by Terrence West to make the score 17–0 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Ravens would go back to work with Tucker kicking yet another 25-yard field goal to make the score 20–0. A scoreless fourth quarter made this the eventual final score of the game.

With the loss, the Bengals started their season 0–1. This is the team's first shut-out loss at home since 2001.

Andy Dalton set a new career high for total turnovers in a game with 5 (4 interceptions, 1 lost fumble)

The Bengals stayed home for a Thursday Night duel against the Texans. In the first quarter the Texans jumped out to an early lead when Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it 3–0. The Bengals tied it up in the second quarter when Randy Bullock kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 3–3. Though the Texans would then retake the lead when DeShaun Watson ran for a 49-yard touchdown to make it 10–3. Bullock closed out the first half scoring with a 29-yard field goal to make it 10–6 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bengals went back to work when Bullock kicked a 30-yard field goal to get his team within a point making the score 10–9. In the fourth quarter, the Texans moved ahead by 4 after Fairbairn kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 13–9. The Bengals tried to come back with seconds left but after a failed fourth down conversion attempt, the Texans were able to seal the victory.

With the loss, the Bengals dropped to 0–2. This would be the team's first 0–2 start since 2008. They are also the first team to open a season with two home games without scoring a touchdown since the 1939 Eagles.

The Bengals traveled Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. In the first quarter, the Bengals scored first when Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on a 10-yard pass to make it 7–0. Though the Packers would respond by tying the game up at 7–7 when Aaron Rodgers found Lance Kendricks on a 1-yard pass. In the second quarter, it was all Bengals when Dalton found Giovani Bernard on a 6-yard pass to make it 14–7. This would be followed up by Cornerback William Jackson III intercepting Rodgers and returning it 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 21–7 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Packers got to work as Rodgers would find Jordy Nelson on a 1-yard pass to make it 21–14. They would draw closer in the fourth quarter after Mason Crosby kicked a 28-yard field goal to make it 21–17. The Bengals then moved ahead by a touchdown again after Randy Bullock kicked a 46-yard field goal to make it 24–17. However, the Packers tied it up later on when Rodgers and Nelson connected again this time on a 3-yard pass to make it 24–24. In overtime, the Bengals won the toss but went three-and-out. After the Packers got the ball, Rodgers found Geronimo Allison on a 72-yard pass that set up Mason Crosby's game-winning field goal from 27 yards out to make the final score 27–24.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0–3. The team would face their first 0–3 start since 2008.

After a tough loss, the Bengals traveled to Cleveland to take on the Browns in Round 1 of Battle of Ohio. After a scoreless first quarter, the Bengals got to work in the second quarter when Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on a 7-yard pass to make the score 7–0. Dalton would then find Tyler Kroft on a 3-yard pass to make it 14–0. Then Dalton would find Giovani Bernard on a 61-yard pass to make it 21–0 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bengals increased their lead when Randy Bullock nailed a 41-yard field goal to make it 24–0. This would be followed by Dalton's fourth touchdown pass of the day as he found Kroft again this time on a 16-yard pass to make it 31–0. In the fourth quarter, the Browns got the final points of the game when Duke Johnson ran for a 1-yard touchdown making the final score 31–7.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 1–3.

After a huge road win, the Bengals returned home for a game against the Bills. The Bengals would draw first blood in the first quarter when Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on a 77-yard pass to make it 7–0. The Bills scored a field goal later on in the quarter when Stephen Hauschka kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 7-3. The Bengals moved up by a touchdown in the second quarter when Randy Bullock nailed a 30-yard field goal to make it 10–3. Though the Bills would tie it up later on in the quarter when Tyrod Taylor connected with Brandon Tate for a 12-yard pass making the score 10–10 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bills moved into the lead with another field goal from Hauschka. This was from 38 yards out to make the score 13–10. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals retook the lead when Joe Mixon ran for a 5-yard touchdown making it 17–13. Hauschka got the Bills closer with a 28-yard field goal to make it 17–16. Though later on, Bullock kicked a 29-yard field goal making the score 20–16. This would be the eventual final score of the game.

With the win, the Bengals went into their bye week at 2–3.

Coming off their bye week, the Bengals traveled to Pittsburgh for Game 1 against the division rival Steelers. The Steelers would score first when Ben Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown on a 7-yard pass to make it 7–0. Though later on in the quarter, the Bengals would tie it up when Andy Dalton found Brandon LaFell on a 6-yard pass to make it a 7–7 game. In the second quarter, the Steelers moved back into the lead when Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 31-yard pass to make it 14–7. But the Bengals tied it up again when Dalton found Tyler Kroft on a 1-yard pass making it 14–14. The Steelers closed the half with 2 field goals kicked by Chris Boswell: From 22 and 24 yards out to retake the lead 17–14 and then make it 20–14 at halftime. In the highly defensive second half, the Steelers managed to score more field goals starting in the third quarter when Boswell went for 2 more: From 41 and 49 yards out to increase the Steelers' lead from 9 to 12 and making the score change from 23–14 to 26–14. In the last quarter, the Steelers would pretty much seal the game when Boswell hit his fifth field goal of the game from 29-yards out to make the final score 29–14.

With their fifth straight loss to the Steelers, the Bengals dropped to 2–4.

After a tough loss, the Bengals returned home for a game against the Colts. The Bengals jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter when Randy Bullock kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it 3–0. This would be the only score of the quarter. In the second quarter the Colts scored 10 unanswered points and took the lead when at first they would tie it up with Adam Vinatieri's 29-yard field goal to make it 3–3 followed up by Jacoby Brissett finding Jack Doyle on a 13-yard pass to make it 10–3. The Bengals tied it up later on in the quarter when Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on an 8-yard pass to make it 10–10. But the Colts would move ahead at halftime with Vinatieri finishing up with a 33-yard field goal to make it 13–10. In the third quarter, the Bengals retook the lead 17–13 when Dalton found Josh Malone on a 25-yard pass. Though the Colts took the lead back afterwards when Brissett found Marlon Mack on a 24-yard pass making it 20–17. In the fourth quarter, the Colts increased their lead when Vinatieri kicked yet another 29-yard field goal to make it 23–17. Though the Bengals would eventually seal the victory when Brissett was intercepted by Carlos Dunlap and it was returned for a 16-yard touchdown to make the final score 24–23.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 3–4.

After winning at home, the Bengals traveled down south to take on the Jaguars. The Jags scored first in the first quarter when Josh Lambo kicked a 32-yard field goal to make it 3–0. They would make it 10–0 in the second quarter when Blake Bortles found Marqise Lee on a 3-yard pass. The Bengals got on the board coming within 3 as Joe Mixon ran for a 7-yard touchdown making the score 10–7. However, the Jags pulled away with Lambo's 56-yard field goal to make it 13–7 at halftime. In the second half it was all Jags as they scored in the third quarter with Lambo hitting his third field goal of the day from 25 yards out to make it 16–7. In the fourth quarter, they would wrap up the scoring of the game with Jaydon Mickens 63-yard punt return for a touchdown and the final score 23–7.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 3–5.

The game was notable seeing A. J. Green getting ejected in the second quarter after fighting with Jacksonville's Jalen Ramsey, who was also ejected.

After a tough loss, the Bengals traveled further north to take on the Titans. The Titans drew first blood in the first quarter when DeMarco Murray ran for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 7–0. The Bengals then got on the board when Andy Dalton found Brandon LaFell on a 37-yard pass (with a failed PAT) to make it 7–6. The Titans managed to pull away in the second quarter when Murray ran for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 14–6. The Bengals came within 1 again when Joe Mixon ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 14–13. The Titans then closed out the half with Ryan Succop's 44-yard field goal to make it 17–13 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the Bengals took the lead in the fourth quarter when Dalton found A. J. Green on a 70-yard pass to make it 20–17. Though the Titans were able to complete the comeback when Murray ran for his third touchdown of the day: From 7 yards out to make it 24–20 sealing the win.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 3–6.

After a tough road loss, the Bengals traveled west to take on the Broncos. In the first quarter, they would score first when Andy Dalton found Tyler Kroft on a 1-yard pass (with a failed PAT) to make it 6–0. The Broncos then took the lead when C.J. Anderson ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 7–6. In the second quarter, the Bengals moved back into the lead when Dalton found Alex Erickson on a 29-yard pass to make it 13–7 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Broncos came within 3 when Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal to make it 13–10. Though in the fourth quarter, the Bengals moved up by double digits when Dalton found A. J. Green on an 18-yard pass to make it 20–10. The Broncos then concluded the scoring of the game when Brock Osweiler found Demaryius Thomas on a 17-yard pass to make the final score 20–17.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 4–6. The team also won against the Broncos in Denver for the first time since 1975.

After winning on the road, the Bengals returned home for Game 2 of the Battle of Ohio. In the first quarter, the Browns took an early lead when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 27-yard field goal to make it 3–0. Though the Bengals took the lead when Andy Dalton found Tyler Boyd on an 8-yard pass to make it 7–3. In the second quarter, the Bengals increased their lead with 3 straight field goals kicked by Randy Bullock: From 31, 49, and 21 yards out to make the score 10–3, 13–3, and 16–3. Gonzalez managed to get the Browns closer with a 21-yard field goal of his own to make it 16–6 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bengals pulled away as Dalton found Tyler Kroft on a 1-yard pass to make it 23–6. Gonzalez managed to put to get the Browns within 2 touchdowns when he kicked his third field goal of the game: from 39 yards out to make it 23–9. The Browns came within a touchdown when DeShone Kizer ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 23–16. However, the Bengals sealed the game when Joe Mixon ran for an 11-yard touchdown to make the final score 30–16.

Against the Browns, Joe Mixon had a career day, rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown, the first 100-yard game of his young career. With the win and 7th straight over the Browns, the Bengals went to 5–6.

After winning on the road, the Bengals returned home for Game 2 against the Steelers. The Bengals scored first in the first quarter when Randy Bullock kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 3–0. They would make it 10–0 later on in the quarter when Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on an 8-yard pass. In the second quarter, the Bengals scored again when Dalton found Green again on a 15-yard pass to make it 17–0. The Steelers got their only points of the first half when Chris Boswell kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 17–3 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Steelers were able to come within a touchdown when Ben Roethlisberger found Le'Veon Bell on a 35-yard pass to make it 17–10. However, the Bengals moved back ahead by double digits when Bullock kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 20–10. In the fourth quarter, it was all Steelers when Boswell kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 20–13. This would be followed up by tying the game at 20–20 when Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown on a 6-yard pass. Finally, the Steelers were able to seal the victory with seconds left when Boswell kicked the game-winning 38-yard field goal to make the final score 23–20.

With their 6th straight loss to the Steelers, the Bengals fell to 5–7.

After a tough loss at home, the Bengals would remain at home for a game against the Bears. In the first quarter, the Bears took an early lead when Jordan Howard ran for a 21-yard touchdown (with a failed PAT) to make it 6–0. The Bengals however took the lead later on in the quarter when Andy Dalton found Brandon LaFell on a 14-yard pass to make it 7–6. The Bears retook the lead in the second quarter when Mike Nugent kicked 2 field goals: From 34 and 27 yards out to make it 9–7 and then 12–7 at halftime. The Bears then shut out the Bengals the entire second half while they score themselves: In the third quarter Mitchell Trubisky ran for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 19–7 for the only score of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, they wrapped up the scoring when Trubisky found Adam Shaheen on a 1-yard pass to make it 26–7. Howard then ran for an 8-yard touchdown to make the final score 33–7.

With the loss, the Bengals dropped to 5–8. The team is also assured their second straight non-winning season.

The Bengals traveled to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings. The Vikes dominated the majority of the game starting in the first quarter when they scored 3 times: Latavius Murray ran for a 1-yard touchdown, Eric Kendricks intercepted Andy Dalton and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown, and then Kai Forbath kicked a 53-yard field goal to make it 17–0. They made it 24–0 in the second quarter before halftime when Case Keenum found Stefon Diggs on a 20-yard pass. In the third quarter, Forbath put a 35-yard field goal through to make it 27–0 for the only score. This would be followed up by Keenum finding Kyle Rudolph in the fourth quarter to make it 34–0. The Bengals score the last points of the game when Giovani Bernard ran for a 7-yard touchdown to make the final score 34–7.

With the loss, the Bengals dropped to 5–9. The team would have consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2007 and 2008. Andy Dalton also tied his career-high for most games started and lost in a single season.

After yet another blowout loss, the Bengals returned home to take on the Lions. In the first quarter, the Lions scored when Matthew Stafford found Eric Ebron on a 33-yard pass to make it 7–0. The Bengals scored 2 field goals in the second quarter: Randy Bullock got them from 29 and 27 yards out to make the score 7–3 and then 7–6 at halftime. In the third quarter, Matt Prater put the Lions up by 4 with a 23-yard field goal to make it 10–6. The Bengals however took the lead later on when Andy Dalton found C.J. Uzomah on a 1-yard pass to make it 13–10. Bullock then put a 35-yard field goal through to make it 16–10. The Lions retook the lead when Tion Green ran for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 17–16. Though, the Bengals were able to score twice to seal the game: Bullock kicked a 51-yard field goal to make it 19–17. This would be followed by Giovani Bernard running for a 12-yard touchdown to make the final score 26–17.

With the win, the Bengals would improve to 6–9 and would knock the Detroit Lions out of the postseason.

The Bengals then closed out the regular season with Game 2 against the Ravens. In the first quarter, the Bengals scored when Andy Dalton found Tyler Kroft on a 1-yard pass to make it 7–0 for the only score. The Ravens got on the board in the second quarter when Justin Tucker nailed a 46-yard field goal to make it 7–3. However, Dalton and Kroft connected again on a 5-yard pass to make it 14–3. This would be followed up by Randy Bullock kicking a 32-yard field goal to make it 17–3 in favor of the Bengals. The Ravens then closed out the half when Joe Flacco found Chris Moore on a 6-yard pass to make the halftime score 17–10. In the third quarter, the Bengals moved back ahead by double digits when Darqueze Dennard returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown to make it 24–10. Though, the Ravens reduced that lead again when Alex Collins ran for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 24–17. In the fourth quarter, the Ravens managed to take the lead when Tucker kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 24–20 followed up by Flacco connecting with Mike Wallace on a 6-yard pass to make it 27–24. Though, the Bengals were able to complete the comeback when Dalton found Tyler Boyd on a 49-yard pass to make the final score 31–27.

The Bengals spoiled their division rival's playoff hopes thanks to a late Andy Dalton touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd. Due to the tiebreakers, and after a 4th down pass from Flacco to Wallace fell a few yards short of converting to a first down, the win also allowed the Buffalo Bills to end their 17-year postseason drought, as they would qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

The team finished 7–9.

AFC North
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers	13	3	0	.813	6–0	10–2	406	308	W2
Baltimore Ravens	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	395	303	L1
Cincinnati Bengals	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	290	349	W2
Cleveland Browns	0	16	0	.000	0–6	0–12	234	410	L16

AFC v t e
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1[a]	New England Patriots	East	13	3	0	.813	5–1	10–2	.484	.466	W3
2[a]	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	13	3	0	.813	6–0	10–2	.453	.423	W2
3[b]	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	10	6	0	.625	4–2	9–3	.434	.394	L2
4[b]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	10	6	0	.625	5–1	8–4	.477	.481	W4
Wild Cards
5[c]	Tennessee Titans	South	9	7	0	.563	5–1	8–4	.434	.396	W1
6[c]	Buffalo Bills	East	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	.492	.396	W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c]	Baltimore Ravens	North	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	.441	.299	L1
8[c]	Los Angeles Chargers	West	9	7	0	.563	3–3	6–6	.457	.347	W2
9	Cincinnati Bengals	North	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.465	.321	W2
10[d]	Oakland Raiders	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	.512	.396	L4
11[d]	Miami Dolphins	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	.543	.531	L3
12[e]	Denver Broncos	West	5	11	0	.313	2–4	4–8	.492	.413	L2
13[e]	New York Jets	East	5	11	0	.313	2–4	5–7	.520	.438	L4
14[f]	Indianapolis Colts	South	4	12	0	.250	2–4	3–9	.480	.219	W1
15[f]	Houston Texans	South	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.516	.375	L6
16	Cleveland Browns	North	0	16	0	.000	0–6	0–12	.520	–	L16
Tiebreakers[g]
^ a b New England claimed the No. 1 seed over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory. ^ a b Jacksonville claimed the No. 3 seed over Kansas City based on conference record. ^ a b c d Tennessee finished ahead of Buffalo, Baltimore and Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record, claiming the No. 5 seed. Buffalo and Baltimore finished ahead of Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record. Buffalo claimed the No. 6 seed over Baltimore based on strength of victory. ^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head victory. ^ a b Denver finished ahead of the New York Jets based on head-to-head victory. ^ a b Indianapolis finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head sweep. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

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