The Cincinnati Bengals have a long way to go before they convince those in charge of the power rankings to shove them back into top-10 territory.
Cincinnati started the season in the top five in most places, yet careened for the near-bottom after that 1-3 start.
Buy Bengals TicketsA win over the Arizona Cardinals, no matter how impressive, doesn’t move the needle for most, including USA Today’s Nate Davis:
22. Bengals (26): They’ll only be on the road two more times before December, so maybe the comforts of home are good for QB Joe Burrow’s calf and team focus with a brutal upcoming schedule (Seattle, San Francisco, Buffalo) for a Cincinnati club that may finally otherwise be turning the corner.
Until the Bengals consistently look like the Bengals of the last two years, it’s fair game to keep underselling them in rankings.
That said, Bengals fans know well enough what Joe Burrow’s performance in Week 5 means. That mobility coming back is a possible sign of things to come, so if it only keeps getting better and the team keeps winning, the slingshot up the rankings will follow.
