Cincinnati Bengals fans (Photos by Getty Images)
Disgruntled and angry Cincinnati Bengals fans began an online petition demanding that the NFL put their team in the playoffs…despite missing out by one game.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals closed out 2024 on a five-game winning streak to finish 9-8 for the second straight season. But the Denver Broncos (10-7) nabbed the AFC’s final wild card spot by beating the Kansas City Chiefs, who rested their starters after wrapping up the conference’s first seed.

A Bengals fan began an online petition at Change.org, calling for the league to automatically put Cincinnati in the playoffs over Denver. The petition also calls for the defending Super Bowl champions to be punished for “throwing” their game in Mile High City:

The frustration of Bengals fans is justified, but the Chiefs clinched the AFC’s top seed and only first-round bye fair and square. Almost any team that has a first-round bye locked up ahead of Week 18 will rest most of their starters.

At the end of the day, the Cincinnati Bengals have no one to blame but themselves. They were the ones who lost eight of their first 12 games, including an inexcusable 16-10 home loss to the hapless New England Patriots in Week 1.

The Bengals have notoriously started slow in the Joe Burrow era, which is playing with fire. They were able to get into the postseason with hot finishes in 2021 and 2022, but the sluggish starts caught up to them in the following two years.

Cincinnati Bengals Have Already Commenced The Changes

Head coach Zac Taylor wasted no time shaking up the coaching staff, firing well-respected defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo on Monday. Once a hot candidate in the NFL coach hiring cycle, Anarumo oversaw a defense that allowed 25.5 points per game (25th in the NFL).

Up next, the Bengals need to add several new faces to a defense that cost Burrow and company a shot at the postseason.