Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills would've awaited the Bengals in the wild-card round if Cincinnati had gotten help from the Chiefs.

See the Bengals' 2025 opponents below. Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh Steelers. Chicago Bears. Detroit Lions. New England Patriots. New York Jets. Jacksonville Jaguars. Arizona Cardinals.

With the victory, the Patriots lost the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft. They currently own the No. 4 overall pick after finishing the season with a 4-13 record. Mayo was asked to give a response to Patriots fans who might have been upset by the team winning a game they would have greatly benefitted from losing.

As a result, it is officially the offseason in Cincinnati and a second straight season without a postseason appearance. The silver lining is the Bengals will pick near the middle of the draft as a result. The Bengals will pick one spot higher than they did in the last draft.

The Buffalo Bills will know more about their potential playoff opponent on Saturday. They'll still have to wait all day for a Sunday night. The Bills have locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The Denver Broncos (9-7),

Brian Callahan and the Tennessee Titans secured the top pick with a 3-14 record. The New England Patriots held that spot prior to their regular-season finale, but a win over the Buffalo Bills dropped them to No. 4 at 4-13. The Cleveland Browns (3-14) finished with the No. 2 pick and the New York Giants (3-14) were slotted No. 3.

The Denver Broncos extinguished the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes, and claimed the AFC's No. 7 seed in the NFL playoffs.

For the Bengals to get into the playoffs, they need the Denver Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins. Both of the games will be played during the early afternoon 4:25 p.m. time slot. Cincinnati will know if their season will continue by 8 p.m. or so on Sunday night.

The Bengals need to win and get some help to sneak into the NFL postseason. Here's how the Bengals can make the playoffs in Week 18.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is chased out of bounds by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) during the first half of an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) AP

Bills fans were holding their breaths after Buffalo's best wide receiver didn't get up after this stellar catch.

The Bengals took care of their own business, winning five in a row to close out the season, but they were officially eliminated from playoff contention when the Broncos crushed the Chiefs.