The Bengals are playing like a playoff team right now.
They really should only have 1 loss under their belt as they deserved to beat the Broncos.
That said, they are 5-2 and have only played 1 team under .500. Wins over division rivals like Baltimore and Pittsburgh prove that they are a good team and the close loss to the undefeated Broncos further supports that.
Obviously, a lot can happen as we haven't even gotten through half of the season yet, but the Bengals are fully capable of making the playoffs right now.
They have a Top 10 QB and WR corps to go along with one of the best running games in the league and a top 10 defense. No reason to think that they aren't capable of making the playoffs right now.
Their final 9 games:
9 Nov 8 BAL - Toss Up
10 Nov 15 @ PIT - Toss Up/Underdog
11 Nov 22 @ OAK - Win
12 Nov 29 CLE - Win
13 Dec 6 DET - Win
14 Dec 13 @ MIN - Toss Up/Underdog
15 Dec 20 @ SDG - Favored
16 Dec KAN - Win
17 Jan 3 @ NYJ - Favored
They should win at least 4 games of their next 8 and could possibly win 6 to put them anywhere between 9-7 and 11-5.