NFL Power Rankings: Bengals Surge Near Top-Five

Secure a 10-point win against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers, gain mediocre improvement. Take a 14-point lead in the first six minutes, then give up 30 unanswered points, and rebound with three second half touchdowns, impress the socks out of the nation.

According to most power rankings from the national football landscape, the Bengals surged into the top-six, save for a handful of people -- including the Bengals-friendly Pete Prisco, who ranked the Bengals eighth (the lowest of those that we keep track of.

Elliot Harrison, who does the rankings for NFL.com, wrote:

What a wild affair -- and what a huge win -- against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Everyone contributed, although the Bengals did, of course, look content to give it away by committing four turnovers on four consecutive possessions. Coordinator Mike Zimmer's defense kept getting put into bad situations; still, the unit was able to at least hold the fort. Speaking of, that was a big-time play by Michael Johnson, getting a hand on Aaron Rodgers' fourth-down, fourth-quarter throw. So clutch.