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The Cincinnati Bengals had their bye this week, so there isn’t too much of a change from where they were a week ago.
However, the Bengals will now be playing the Steelers this week. Pittsburgh is coming off a victory over the Chiefs who many ranked number one in their power rankings. This has sky rocketed the Steelers in most power ranking, which means this game could potentially move the Bengals into the top 10 in most of these rankings.
The Bengals are coming out healthier after their bye week. John Ross is even practicing on a limited basis, so hopefully that extra week pays dividends when the Bengals head into Pittsburgh.
No one needs to worry about Coach Marvin Lewis’s job security or QB Andy Dalton’s worthiness to be the starter, at least for now. The Bengals’ season has renewed possibilities as they return from their bye.
The Bengals are coming off a bye week and a two-game winning streak. They'll be spending four of their next five weeks on the road with trips to Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Denver. So, the win streak might not last long.
Rookie receiver John Ross returned to practice. If he can stay healthy and contribute, the Bengals offense might not be all that bad the rest of the way. It has looked much better since the change at coordinator.
The Bengals were off this past weekend, but the break didn't necessarily come at a good time. While bye weeks are awesome for regenerating roster health, Cincy had been playing solid football for the previous three weeks. A hard-fought OT loss at Lambeau followed by back-to-back wins provided momentum for a team many wrote off at 0-2. And the down time provided some rough news on the health front, as Tyler Eifert was scheduled for season-ending surgery.
They come off the bye with a big road test against the Steelers. If the Bengals want to have any chance to win the division, they probably need that one.
NFL Week 7 Power Rankings
Site | This Week | Last Week | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
Site | This Week | Last Week | Difference |
ESPN | 23 | 21 | 2- |
CBS | 25 | 23 | 2- |
NFL.com | 22 | 23 | 1+ |
SB Nation | 20 | 17 | 3- |
Yahoo | 24 | 23 | 2+ |
Washington Post | 13 | 13 | 0 |
Bleacher Report | 15 | 16 | 1+ |
Average | 20.28571429 | 19.42857143 | 1- |