It was a win that gave Cincinnati Bengals fans a mild heart attack or two between the end of regulation and the entirety of overtime (see York, Cade).

In the end, the Bengals scored late in overtime when Tee Higgins completed the hat trick and gave Cincinnati a 30-24 victory over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.

It’s the team’s fourth straight win as they return to .500 at 8-8 and have made their mark on the playoff scene entering Week 18.

All eyes now turn to Sunday, especially the Indianapolis Colts (at the New York Giants) and the Miami Dolphins (at the Cleveland Browns). The Bengals still need both teams to lose one of their last two games.

Both teams will likely use their backup quarterbacks this week. Joe Flacco will replace the injured Anthony Richardson, while Tyler Huntley is expected to start in place of Tua Tagovailoa.

The path for the Bengals now looks like this: They have to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers next week (a team still fighting for the AFC North title) and the Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs (who have already secured the No. 1 seed). have). ) and let the Colts and Dolphins lose one.

There’s still a long way to go, but the Bengals will at least play one meaningful game in Week 18 after going 4-8 a month ago.

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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: The Bengals’ playoff scenario after overtime win in Week 17