NFL Week 14 Power Rankings Roundup: Bengals remain at top of bottom-tier teams

The Bengals have fallen to 5-7 after failing to hold onto a 17-point lead against the Steelers on Monday night. The game was filled with a roller coaster of emotions for both teams as each team saw a player taken off the field in a stretcher. The Bengals also saw a terrible cheap shot against Vontaze Burfict via JuJu Smith-Schuster. All of this happened as the Bengals had a very typical second half performance.

The Steelers scored 20 points in the second half while the Bengals only scored three. Although the refs did call back a long touchdown by A.J. Green with a holding call that the announcers even called ridiculous.

At this point the Bengals playoffs hopes seem to be dead. Deader than they have been all season. Still in most power rankings the Bengals haven’t fallen that far. It seems most places view them as one of the best bad teams there are, and considering what they’ve shown us this season, that seems to be where they belong.

ESPN: 19

Carl Lawson was a fourth-round pick for the Bengals, but he's playing like a first-rounder. Lawson leads all rookies with 7.5 sacks and he's just two shy of matching the team's rookie record set by Carlos Dunlap in 2010 (9.5).

Yahoo Sports: 21

The offense fell apart after taking a 17-0 lead against the Steelers. The defense couldn’t get a stop when it needed one at the end. The Bengals’ playoff chances look even bleaker after blowing a winnable game, and you have to wonder if that was the final blow for Marvin Lewis and his seemingly endless job security.

NFL.com: 22

The Bengals not only dropped another hard-fought ( too much so) battle to the Steelers, but might've also lost any hope of snatching a wild-card spot. On a night Andy Dalton when was playing well, the offensive line was holding up and the defense was stifling Ben Roethlisberger, Cincy imploded in the fourth quarter. Another lost Bengals campaign was lost in the shadow of nasty hits and personal fouls, which have become the calling card of this division rivalry. It's no good for Marvin Lewis' team. (Same goes for Mike Tomlin's bunch. And the league.)

Washington Post: 18

The most meaningful issues arising from Monday night’s game in Cincinnati were concerns over the severity of the injury suffered by the Steelers’ Ryan Shazier and the alarm over the brutality of the illegal hits delivered by both teams. The competitive implications of the Bengals’ loss were far less significant, although their playoff chances were damaged.

Bleacher Report: 18

The Cincinnati Bengals offense played as well as it has all year against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andy Dalton played one of his best games of the season, too.

Actually, the Bengals played one of their best games overall of the year against Pittsburgh. Ultimately, though, penalties and self-inflicted wounds did them in. The biggest mistake was Cincinnati's inability (or lack of desire) to tackle Le'Veon Bell on his long touchdown run in the second half. That made it a 17-10 game and gave Pittsburgh all the momentum.

Cincinnati isn't totally out of it, but it is at the point where it needs to win out and to get some help to reach the postseason.

CBS Sports: 21

Bengals At 5-7, that loss to the Steelers just about finishes their season. Now the question becomes whether changes are coming.