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The Bengals defeated the Colts 34-23 on Sunday. This makes them one of the 15 teams (since the Steelers and Browns tied) to start the season (1-0). It seems the power ranking makers don’t know what to do with the Bengals at this point. They are as low as being in the 20’s and one ranking even has them inside the top 10.
The team enjoyed a good outing from Andy Dalton and Joe Mixon, which should be a formula for success this season. Still the defense showed some cause for concern after getting destroyed on third down against the Colts. Then again, it isn’t every week you face off against Andrew Luck. And interestingly, Dalton fared better than Luck on Sunday.
One thing for sure is the Bengals can get some real respect from the rankings by defeating the Ravens in their home opener on Thursday Night.
Here’s how the Bengals rank in the Week 2 Power Rankings:
In the first two minutes of the game against the Colts, new Bengals LB Preston Brown had his first interception since 2015 in his debut with Cincinnati. It was also the first time in his career he recorded a pick in the red zone.
As for the Bengals, they spoiled Andrew Luck’s return to regular season action and Andy Dalton actually outplayed Luck in a game in which both quarterbacks threw an interception on their first pass. The Ravens and Bengals play on Thursday Night Football and the winner will take first place (for now) in the AFC North.
Joe Mixon looks like the player a lot of people felt was a top-10 talent, even though he slipped to the second round because he punched a woman at Oklahoma. He might have a monster season as a true dual-threat at the position.
The opening win in Indianapolis amounted to taking care of business properly against a bad opponent. Now comes a quick turnaround for a Thursday night meeting with the Ravens that could be quite a bit more telling about how good the Bengals will be.
More often than not, the determining factor is how much time Dalton has to throw the ball. Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, that time was there. Dalton was sacked only two times, and the result was a good outing—Dalton ended the day 21-of-28 for 243 yards and two scores with a passer rating of 109.7. That wasn’t the only good news for the Bengals. Tailback Joe Mixon racked up 149 total yards and found the end zone. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap and tackle Geno Atkins earned their fat new salaries with a sack apiece. And the Bengals defense salted the game away with a fumble return for a touchdown late.
They showed something by coming from behind on the road against the Colts. This is a team that could be sneaky good this year.
Average Bengals Power Ranking spot: 15.6