Understandably, the Cincinnati Bengals take a huge drop in the latest power rankings.
Those Bengals were flirting with top-10 status while riding the three-game surge led by Jake Browning, only to put up a massive flop in Pittsburgh over the holiday.
That disaster has the Bengals falling eight spots in the latest rankings from USA Today’s Nate Davis:
20. Cincinnati Bengals (12): A team that’s won the past two AFC North championships is on the verge of going 0-6 in divisional play this season.
It’s by no means unfair, though it’s worth pointing out that upsetting the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 17 will likely result in a catapult that sends them right back up the power rankings next week.
And the Bengals don’t really have a choice in the matter — the good playoff news the team received recently requires a win over the Chiefs to have a chance.
