Ridiculous NFL Playoff Scenario in which Bengals are top seed in AFC

When the Bengals were 3-0, many thought this was not only one of the best teams in football, but one capable of earning the AFC's top seed and homefield advantage throughout the NFL playoffs. A 2-3-1 stretch over their next six games would squash that talk for good, or so it seemed.

After three straight wins on the road, the 8-3-1 Bengals are mere percentage points behind the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Is it crazy to think the Bengals could actually earn the AFC's top seed?

If Cincinnati could achieve this, it would be part of one of the most ridiculous playoff scenarios Louis Bien at SB Nation could cook up. In one scenario, the Bengals earn the top seed, while the Chiefs get the 2 seed, the Bills get the 4 seed, the Browns get the six seed and neither the Broncos nor the Patriots make the playoffs.

He also outlined a scenario in which the Bengals make the playoffs as the 3 seed, while the Broncos and Patriots earn the top two seeds, and Cincy host a Chiefs team with a losing record in the wild-card round.

That one seems a little more realistic, though it would take a lot for a losing team to make the playoffs with six teams sitting at 7-5 in addition to the 8-4 Chargers and 6-6 Texans.

In the end, any scenario in which the Bengals get a playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium is a welcome one.