Bengals' earned reputation factors into latest power rankings
We're a week away from Halloween, and the jury is out on virtually every single team in the NFL. Perhaps a few teams are either confirmed great or terrible, and everyone else is in a pool of uncertainty, including the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' bye week proved to be an unfortunate time to be inactive […]
We're a week away from Halloween, and the jury is out on virtually every single team in the NFL. Perhaps a few teams are either confirmed great or terrible, and everyone else is in a pool of uncertainty, including the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals' bye week proved to be an unfortunate time to be inactive as all three of their AFC North rivals won, but the chaos from everywhere else in the NFL further proved that the Bengals are still very much in the mix.
To some, they're right back on the doorstep of the elites.
With notable contenders such as the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and even the Detroit Lions leaving Week 7 defeated, the Bengals are ahead of them all in Sports Illustrated's latest power rankings. Conor Orr has kept them at the No. 6 spot, where he had them last week.
"Since Week 3, they are top 10 both in defensive EPA and drop back success rate. If Burrow rounds into form, they are the Super Bowl team we believed them to be at season’s beginning. I recognize the hypocrisy a bit: the Bengals get the benefit of the doubt, while the Lions do not in this case. However, I feel like we have a larger sample size of what the Bengals can do, and how they overcome attrition." – SI's Conor Orr
When the Bengals have been at their best since 2021, quarterback Joe Burrow has been elite, and their defense plays just as well. Neither Burrow nor Lou Anarumo's defense can say they've been at their very best over the last four weeks, but progress since starting 0-2 has definitely been seen.
The Burrow and Anarumo effect have provided Cincinnati with something it hasn't had in decades: A reputation for success. Even in the good years of Marvin Lewis' tenure, there was always the impending dread of the other shoe dropping amid the winning.
In this new era, despite starting off sluggish every year in Burrow's career, there's an expectation of getting right and competing late in the year. There's no other reason why the 3-3 Bengals find themselves this high up.
Now it's time to validate it, starting with two monumental matchups against the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.
How the Bengals can strike gold with 49ers’ recent struggles
Cincinnati’s Week 8 matchup in San Francisco looks much more intriguing now.
