THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

The only way the Bengals get into the NFL playoffs starts by beating Denver this Sunday. I've done the math.

9-7 COULD get an AFC team in. But the tie breakers may not all fall the Bengals way. And certainly, if the Bengals end up 9-7, their ninth win must come against Denver, as the Broncos are pretty much in the same boat as Cincinnati.

Can the Bengals go to Denver and win this week? Sure. Honestly, with the exception of the loss to the Colts Monday night, the Bengals haven't played a team this season they couldn't have beaten. Will the Bengals beat the Broncos? I saw nothing Monday night that would lead me to believe they will. The Colts, notoriously a finesse rather than a power team, pushed the Bengals all over the RCA Dome turf. Peyton Manning systematically picked the Bengals apart, running up 394 yards of total offense. The Colts converted on 3rd down 50 percent of the time.

Worse, was what the Bengals offense did, or didn't do. It didn't run with any consistency and failed to protect Carson Palmer. He was not only sacked, he was hit on a lot of plays. Chad Johnson and T.J.Houshmandzadeh were reduced to rumors.

Remember, still lurking is Pittsburgh. And the Steelers could come into Cincinnati New Year's Eve with a mathmatical chance to make the playoffs themselves. At the very least, they could play a large hand in whether or not the Bengals play on.

But it begins with Denver. If the Bengals lose to the Broncos, the Broncos gain the tie breaker over Cincinnati. Denver finishes with a weak 49ers team, in Colorado. The Jaguars and Jets remain the other contenders for 'cards'. While the Jags have a little tougher road remaining than the Jets, both could wind up with 10-6 records.

The wiggle room for the Bengals is gone. For them, the playoffs begin Sunday, in Denver.

Ken