It's with great sadness that the final Power Rankings for the regular season are completed. It marks two things. Football is now entering its Red Giant phase of the season, while expanding with their fury that only the NFL knows in the postseason, it's also the stage in a star's life just before death. As our Westeros friends tell us repeatedly, "Winter is coming."
Before the season started, it wasn't surprising to see the Bengals ranked in national power rankings with a double-digit placement and a three preceding either the zero, one or two. Seventeen weeks and sixteen games later, the Bengals were no worse than 11th. It's a season the Bengals and their fans (aka, us) can be proud of -- complacent with satisfaction? No. We want wins now. But looking back right now. Yea, damn fine job gentleman.
| Power Rankings | Placement | LW |
| SB Nation | 10th | 8th |
| ESPN's Power Rankings | 11th | 10th |
| Pete Prisco (CBSSports.com) | 11th | 11th |
| NFL.com | 11th | 10th |
| Pro Football Talk | 10th | 8th |
| Brian Billick (FoxSports) | N/A | 10th |
| Your Heart | 1st | 1st |