Bengals pushed further down in the AFC North during Week 7 bye
The Cincinnati Bengals entered their bye week in fourth place in the AFC North, and they now exit their week off in an even worse position. All three of Cincinnati's divisional foes won in Week 7, keeping the Bengals not only at the bottom of the AFC North standings, but also as the only team with […]
The Cincinnati Bengals entered their bye week in fourth place in the AFC North, and they now exit their week off in an even worse position.
All three of Cincinnati's divisional foes won in Week 7, keeping the Bengals not only at the bottom of the AFC North standings, but also as the only team with just three wins.
The Baltimore Ravens remain at the top with a 5-2 record, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns are right behind them at 4-2. The Bengals are a game back from the Steelers and Browns at 3-3.
There proved to be little hope for the Ravens laying an egg against the high-powered Detroit Lions at home. Lamar Jackson continued his campaign for a second MVP award in a blowout 38-6 victory that left everyone back in Detroit stunned. When the Ravens are clicking, they're a legitimate threat to challenge anyone.
Baltimore has already beaten Cincinnati this season, and Cleveland can say the same. The Browns were able to start Deshaun Watson against the Indianapolis Colts, but a concussion took him out of the game in the first quarter despite him clearing the protocol to come back in. The Browns and Colts traded points in a high-scoring affair, and two controversial flags helped the Browns eke out a 39-38 victory.
More referee drama occurred in the Steelers' 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams when quarterback Kenny Pickett appeared to be short on a fourth-and-1 tush push variation, but the ball was marked over the line to gain and the Rams couldn't challenge the spot without a timeout remaining.
The Bengals' bye week did come at an ideal time as they hope to get healthier right before back-to-back games against the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, but they lost ground in their own division and were powerless to stop it. The next two weeks have become even more important than they were this time last week.
Botched Rams-Steelers finish shows need for change to NFL replay system
It’s time for a rethink.
