The Cincinnati Bengals' offseason is upon us after the Broncos won NFL Week 17

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) and quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrate a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Broncos at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor stood almost frozen on the sideline for a moment, staring expressionlessly with a slight smile on his face.

Taylor’s reaction immediately after his team’s 30-24 overtime win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night at Paycor Stadium could have summed up the season.

Partially enthusiastic. Partly frustrated. Partially amazed. And completely exhausted.

Cincinnati Bengals season review

Delighted: The Bengals finally defeated a contending team, did it in a must-win game, extended their win streak to four and showed signs of being the Super Bowl contender they expected to be this season. Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase all gave recaps of the Super Bowl run in 2021 and hope another one isn’t too far away.

Frustrated: The Bengals also played like the underperforming team they were this season. They couldn’t stop rookie Bo Nix from completing a 25-yard double-team for a touchdown with eight seconds left in regulation. Then they scored a game-winning field goal in overtime that made most who followed the Bengals this season believe they would lose.

Stunned: The Bengals actually won a close game against a good team after losing seven of their eight by an average margin of 4.1 points. They have a record of 8-8 after starting 1-4 and falling to 4-8 in early December. This team was considered dead, and yet Cincinnati’s slim playoff hopes are still alive heading into the regular season finale in Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati Bengals playoff scenario

Depleted: Despite this end-of-season boost (boost?), the Bengals need to beat Pittsburgh and get plenty of help to make the playoffs. The scenarios are dizzying, and when all is clear, the Bengals will likely still miss the playoffs, leaving themselves and their fans wondering what could have been.

But for now, enjoy the ride. That’s all you can do, right?

“Our team has some momentum right now,” Taylor said. “We learned from other games this season. There were moments (Saturday) where you probably could have said to yourself, ‘Here we go again.’ But the guys picked each other up and we were able to win the game.”

Admire Burrow’s wonderful season that would end with him winning the MVP title. Watch as he somehow manages to escape a sack, scramble out of the pocket and find Chase in one play. And then the next moment he hit Higgins brilliantly. It was so much fun watching these guys play on Saturday.

As a trio, it was the best they had all season. Higgins caught the game-winning three-yard touchdown pass. The reason for that was his 31-yard reception, a beautiful ball from Burrow that quickly hit Higgins down the sideline.

Burrow is aiming for 412 yards and three touchdowns, an NFL record eighth straight game in which he has thrown for at least 250 yards and three scores. Higgins passed for 131 yards on 11 catches and three touchdowns, possibly the best performance of his career. Chase managed 102 yards on 9 receptions.

Just enjoy it, right? You really want it. But this is where mixed feelings come into play. Here the eternal optimist and the grizzled cynic begin to play tug-of-war.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ offseason is approaching

This is where people get angry at the defense for not making crucial stops in most of the crucial games this season. Try not to think about how all the recent defensive draft picks and cheap free agents have underperformed and spoiled the best of Burrow. And damn, you’re really cursing the Bengals for another slow start and for failing to beat the New England Patriots at home in the season opener.

That makes you sad about the possibility that next weekend’s game will be the last time Burrow, Chase and Higgins take the field as teammates.

You can’t help but be frustrated with the front office here. They didn’t extend Higgins’ contract and now face the big, expensive challenge of retaining a homegrown player who was a key figure in the 2021 and 2022 playoff rounds. There’s no way the Bengals can afford to keep Higgins around. They have to pay Chase and fix their defense, right?

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