Bengals make incredible leap in latest power rankings after two straight wins
By defeating back-to-back playoff contenders, the Cincinnati Bengals have begun proving they can make some late season noise without franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. That statement would've been improbable to read just a few months ago. There's plenty of work left to be done for Cincinnati; a playoff berth is still unlikely unless three wins come […]
By defeating back-to-back playoff contenders, the Cincinnati Bengals have begun proving they can make some late season noise without franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. That statement would've been improbable to read just a few months ago.
There's plenty of work left to be done for Cincinnati; a playoff berth is still unlikely unless three wins come out of the final four games.
Fortunately, Sports Illustrated's latest power rankings have the Bengals ahead of two upcoming opponents.
Two weeks ago, the Bengals were 21st in SI's rankings. Last week they were 20th. They climbed up nearly 10 spots to the No. 12 spot in this week's rankings.
Why? Because Cincy's offense is thriving with Jake Browning at quarterback. Quality quarterback play is required to get into the postseason, and then advance in the postseason.
Browning's performances in the past two weeks after falling flat in his debut have instilled confidence in the Bengals keeping pace with the AFC's best, especially with many top teams in the conference having clear weaknesses of their own exposed recently.
"In both of Jake Browning’s first two starts, he has been one of the week’s seven highest passers in terms of total yards and one of the quickest releases in the NFL. With this complimentary roster, I think we can again start to envision some kind of playoff berth by virtue of the fact that Browning isn’t a clumsy player. He’s decisive and plays fast. He has also logged a positive completion percentage over expectation in each of the Bengals’ last two games." – SI's Conor Orr
The next two games for the Bengals are against the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 19th and 13th-ranked teams, respectively, in Orr's current rankings. Cincinnati has the opportunity to press on in the playoff race, and continue to elevate themselves ahead of fellow contenders in the process.
Bengals manage to scramble into the midst of NFL history
The AFC has never been this packed so late in a playoff race, and the Bengals are in the middle of it all.
