The Bengals may have suffered a close loss to the Ravens on Sunday, but that seems to have been the final straw between them and the bottom half of the NFL in the power rankings.
Cincinnati has taken a serious dive after not that long ago being in the top 10 of most power rankings. However, beating at the hand of the Chiefs and Saints, as well as four losses in their last five games, have left the Bengals looking for answers.
The hope is that Cincinnati can get back on track against the Browns this week, but after what we’ve been witnessing the past few games, nothing seems to be certain.
Here are this week’s NFL power rankings:
Thankful for: A.J. Green. The Bengals realized how much they missed him when they didn’t have him to go to on a crucial fourth-down play against the Ravens last week. But after missing two games, things look on track for Green to potentially make a return this week. If Green can come back against the Browns, things certainly look brighter for the Bengals than they did a week ago.
Bengals running backs had 19 yards on 14 attempts against the Ravens. A.J. Green’s absence doesn’t just affect the passing game. Without much to worry about in the pass game, opponents can focus on turning Joe Mixon into a non-factor.
Bleacher Report: 20 (Last week 16)
The good news for the Cincinnati Bengals is that the team didn’t allow 500 total yards of offense in Week 11 after three straight games surrendering that gaudy amount. The bad news is that the Bengals still allowed over 400 total yards to a rookie quarterback making his first start and gave up a staggering 265 rushing yards in a three-point loss to the Ravens that dropped the Bengals to .500.
Washington Post: 23 (Last week 17)
How bad is the Cincinnati defense these days? The Bengals surrendered 403 total yards to the Ravens in Sunday’s loss, in which rookie QB Lamar Jackson was making his first NFL start for Baltimore. And THAT qualified as progress for the Bengals.
In his first game calling the plays for the Bengals’ defense, Marvin Lewis seemed to be better at the job than Teryl Austin, but Lewis’ unit still allowed Lamar Jackson to break the Ravens’ single-game rushing record for a quarterback in his first NFL start. The Bengals let Jackson run all over them in the Ravens’ win. Cincinnati’s playoff chances are plummeting and even if they make it there, you’d have to expect them to lose in the first round ... again.
Sports Illustrated: 22 (Last week 21)
The Bengals have now dropped two straight and will need to [use Hue Jackson’s insider secrets to] beat Cleveland, or risk falling behind that glut of teams in the AFC’s middle.
Average ranking: 20.16