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With NFL free agency having significantly changed several teams, NFL.com's Elliot Harrison put out a new power ranking for all 32 clubs.
Despite both teams losing key free agents this offseason, the Seahawks and Patriots take the top two spots. Four of the top six spots belong to NFC clubs, while the Raiders claim the worst spot in the rankings.
The Steelers lead the way for the AFC North at No. 7, while the Bengals come in at No. 12:
If re-signing Rey Maualuga and Clint Boling are the kinds of offseason moves that get you fired up, the Cincinnati Bengals are the team for you. Boy, that Marvin Lewis was right about his organization being aggressive in free agency. It's, uh, really been ... something. Did you hear Cincy signed A.J. Hawk? Oh, and the Bengals are paying a guy who got four sacks last year $20 million over the next four years. There's your $40 million of cap space at work.
Seems fair, but you can't undervalue Johnson's impact in Cincinnati when he had a better supporting class, than in Tampa Bay, not to mention a roster capable of winning 10+ games every year, whereas Tampa Bay's roster has won 17 combined games over the past four seasons (4.2 wins per season).
As for the rest of the rankings, right behind the Bengals are the Ravens (13), Texans (14), Chargers (16), Bills (17) and Dolphins (18). The line between Cincinnati and the rest of the AFC playoff hopefuls has shrunk significantly this offseason, and it will take another 10+ win season just to get back to the postseason in 2015.