Latest power rankings reveal a harsh reality for the Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are widely viewed as the team to beat in the AFC North in 2023. And that's how it should be. The Bengals, after all, are coming off two straight AFC North division titles and back-to-back AFC Championship game appearances. The Kansas City Chiefs might be the class of the AFC right now, […]
The Cincinnati Bengals are widely viewed as the team to beat in the AFC North in 2023.
And that's how it should be. The Bengals, after all, are coming off two straight AFC North division titles and back-to-back AFC Championship game appearances.
The Kansas City Chiefs might be the class of the AFC right now, but the Bengals aren't far behind.
While Cincinnati is the obvious favorite in the AFC North, it's not like their journey to a third straight division title will be easy.
In fact, it'll be far from easy. The AFC is a tougher conference than the NFC right now. And the AFC North is the toughest division in the league.
Pro Football Focus highlighted this harsh reality for the Bengals this week via their latest AFC power rankings. PFF has all four AFC North teams inside their top 10. The AFC North is the only conference with all four teams inside the top 10 (the AFC East has three, the AFC West has two, and the AFC South has one).
Three-peating in the AFC North won't be easy for the Bengals. They're the best team in the division, but there are no gimmes in the AFC North. It's going to be a tough battle each week.
The good news for Cincinnati is that their overall strength of schedule ranks No. 17 in the NFL (the Bengals benefit from playing all four AFC South teams in 2023). While that's good news for the rest of the schedule, the AFC North will be won via divisional games. The Bengals should emerge with another division crown, but it's far from a certainty that Cincy will be the last team standing in the toughest division in the sport.
