Just two weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals’ season looked done. With eight losses in nine games, the situation was tense. It had buried their playoff hopes, and as the season began to feel similar to last year’s late heartbreak, Joe Burrow’s return from injury suddenly flipped the coin. If Bengals legend Andrew Whitworth is to be believed, it will only get better from here on.

“Never over if Joe Burrow’s got a chance, baby. If Joe Burrow’s around, there’s never over,” Whitworth said on The Rich Eisen Show.

He asserted that the QB could still drag Cincinnati back into contention. And that confidence mirrors a growing sentiment: once Burrow is healthy, Cincinnati is dangerous again.

Burrow wasted no time proving he was ready. He threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns in his Thanksgiving return against the Baltimore Ravens while avoiding turnovers and taking just one sack. Though he threw for less than six yards per attempt, Burrow still showed control, calmness, and smart decisions when pressured. Against Baltimore’s top-tier defense, he played clean, smart, and steady.

That’s exactly what Cincinnati needed.

The Bengals understand the chaos of an AFC playoff chase better than anyone. Last season, they were eliminated only after the Denver Broncos’ blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and even that came hours before Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh to stay mathematically alive. So, the Bengals could pull off something similar this season.

”I feel like we are back to last year, Rich. I’m back to last year watching them on this chase. Did we just get back to 2024? Cuz now we’re going to sit here and play the game of, ‘If this team beats this team, and this team beats this team, and then they could win this game, and then he’s going to play out of his mind’,” Whitworth added.

Cincinnati had opened last season with three straight losses, fell to 4-8, and needed a win to remain in contention. But with Pittsburgh and Baltimore slipping and the AFC wild card picture muddled, Burrow suddenly had the Bengals within striking distance again.

Enough about last season now. Let’s get back to the current one.

Next for the Bengals are the Bills, and as Whitworth said, the moment Burrow steps onto the field, everything changes.

Joe Burrow is 2–0 against Josh Allen and the Bills, including that memorable January 2023 playoff win, 27-10, in Buffalo. It was in the snow, where Cincinnati controlled every phase of the game.

The Bills come into this matchup as -5.5 favorites, but the line has already fallen from 6.5, likely because of the possibility that wide receiver Tee Higgins returns. Plus, Burrow has always fared well in the underdog position. He faces a Buffalo team sitting at 8-4 and in control of the final AFC playoff spot. So, he knows he needs to get the job done.

“We have everything in front of us,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “We just got to go take care of business.”

There are some real dangers for Cincinnati, however. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson isn’t expected to play due to his nagging injury, and the Bengals have one of the worst passing defenses in the league. That’s a brutal combination against Josh Allen in December.

If the Bengals survive this matchup, their playoff math becomes far more interesting.

Bengals’ path to the playoffs

Despite their early struggles, Cincinnati still has a narrow but real path forward. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco’s addition to the team gave them hope, but his season has been hot and cold since his trade from the Cleveland Browns. And now all the hope is on Burrow’s return.

Per The Athletic, if the Bengals reach 9-8 this season, their playoff odds jump to 90%.

The Steelers and Ravens, both 6-6, are the two teams Cincinnati is chasing. Per ESPN’s projections, the Bengals currently have just a 7% chance to make the playoffs, a jump from 1% before their win against Baltimore.

Their path requires winning the AFC North more than securing a wild card, and they’ve put themselves back in that race by beating the Ravens on Thanksgiving. The rest of Cincinnati’s schedule is brutal, starting with Buffalo, but the message from Burrow remains the same: everything’s still in reach.

With Burrow’s return, the Bengals believe the chase is back on. And as Whitworth reminded the world of football, nothing is over as long as Joe Burrow is playing!