NFL Week 6 Power Rankings Roundup: Bengals making leaps

The Cincinnati Bengals are riding a two game winning streak into their bye week. They Just defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-16 on Sunday. It seems that win has had a mixed effect on their rankings this week.

Most sports outlets have the Bengals in the low 20’s with little movement. Some places though have vaulted the Bengals into the teens, which is pretty high considering the Bengals are 2-3.

The Bengals got banged up against the Bills, and the bye week couldn’t come at a better time. They will have a matchup against the Steelers after they return, though. It will be hard to ignore the Bengals if they manage to defeat the Steelers.

ESPN: 21

The Bengals head into their bye coming off back-to-back wins. Their chances of making the playoffs still aren't great, but considering that they dropped to 2.2 percent following their 0-3 start, 17.5 percent doesn't look too bad.

Washington Post: 13

The 0-3 start has been followed by wins over the Browns and Bills, so the Bengals can rest a little easier on their bye week. All is not well yet. But their season at least has possibilities again.

Bleacher Report: 16

Once the Bengals iron out the wrinkles in their ground attack, this team will have the opportunity to win shootouts against teams with explosive offenses. Through five contests, the pass defense has only allowed 200 or more yards to quarterback Aaron Rodgers—no shame there. Despite the Bengals' 2-3 record, it's a team on the rise within the AFC North, especially with Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco struggling through the early part of the season.

Yahoo Sports: 23

A.J. Green has come alive as the centerpiece of the offense, and the Bengals are back to showing plenty of pulse in a suddenly tight AFC North. Still, there's nothing playoff team about their profile. This week: a bye, when they'll need to work on that running game

CBS Sports: 23

They have won their last two games to get to 2-3 and vault into the thick of the division race. The defense has improved the past two weeks.

NFL.com: 23

The Bengals have quietly won two in a row. What if they had held on at Lambeau in Week 3? Ever since getting embarrassed on opening Sunday and looking awful on offense versus the Texans in front of a national audience in Week 2, Cincinnati has played quality football. The meat in this taco, though, is at wide receiver. A.J. Green has been dominant over the last three games, posting 22 catches, 363 yards and three touchdowns. Those are Tecmo Super Bowl numbers.