14. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals had a golden opportunity in front of them in Week 14. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cleveland Browns — which was their second loss in a row.
That meant by the time they took the field for the afternoon games on Sunday, they were a half-game behind the Ravens for first place in the AFC North. A win over the San Francisco 49ers would have knotted things up for them, and they would have been in first since they do own the tiebreaker after beating Baltimore earlier this season.
They then could have really made a mark with a win in Week 16 when they host the Ravens. However, they now find themselves in a tie for second with the Browns, who own the tiebreaker now meaning Cincinnati is in third place. Of course, none of this matters too much now as the standings in Week 18 are what matters.
Still, they fought back from a 20-6 deficit against San Franciso and tied the game up with 1:19 to go. They forced overtime and even took a lead 23-20 in the extra frame. However, the Niners responded with a Brandon Aiyuk touchdown from 12-yards out, knocking the Bengals down a peg.