NFL Week 8 Power Rankings Roundup: Botched chance at redemption

The Cincinnati Bengals lost 29-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Cincinnati had a chance to prove they belonged higher up in the power rankings, but they failed to do so. The loss caused rookie Joe Mixon (and the rest of us) to question why he wasn’t getting more carries, especially since he didn’t carry it once in the second half.

The coaching staffs only real defense has been Marvin Lewis it was a good learning moment for Mixon to watch Jeremy Hill open up the second half. That defense is about as good as the Bengals’ defense played on Sunday, so I guess it is fitting.

Now the Bengals have fallen back comfortably into the bottom half of the league again this week. Most places had them in the 20’s anyway, but the Washington Post saw the Bengals have the biggest drop as they ranked the Bengals at 13 after beating the Bills in Week 5.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise where the Bengals ranked. At 2-4 and with little hope of catching the Steelers for the division title, the Bengals season is fading fast. Luckily for them, they play the Colts next week who got booed off the field at home going into halftime last week. Then the Bengals kick off a three game road trip that will likely decide their season.

For now though lets see just how far the Bengals have fallen in this week’s power rankings.

ESPN: 26

The Bengals showed some life with back-to-back wins in Weeks 4 and 5, but a 15-point loss to the Steelers has Cincinnati down to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in division. FPI doesn't like their odds for the division title (1.0 percent) or playoffs (8.5 percent) going forward.

Washington Post: 25

LB Vontaze Burfict won’t be suspended but could be fined by the league after appearing to kick a Steelers player in a pileup on the Bengals’ second defensive play Sunday. If Burfict can’t keep his emotions in check even after he began the season serving a three-game suspension, there’s a serious issue.

Yahoo Sports: 25

Joe Mixon wasn’t happy to get only seven carries, and it’s usually not a rookie’s place to complain about touches. But it was baffling. Why would the Bengals keep having Andy Dalton drop back and get crushed behind an offensive line that can’t block rather than ride the running game a little more?

NFL.com: 24

Andy Dalton was jussst off on a couple of throws in the second half against Pittsburgh, but they were enough to thwart the Bengals. A slant to A.J. Green in the third quarter was a hair out in front of the star receiver, and the ensuing Joe Haden pick led to the Steelers padding their lead with a field goal. Then Dalton was slightly off the mark again, on a play that resulted in a deflection-turned-interception. Cincy stayed with Pittsburgh throughout the first half, yet couldn't get out from under Chris Boswell's leg in the second. That's 11 Boswell field goals in these two teams' last two meetings, enough to make Cincy fans kick themselves in the head.

CBS: 28

At 2-4, their chances to win the division are fading fast. The offense didn't do much of anything in the second half against the Steelers.