Given the 0-3 record and inconsistent performances on both sides of the football, it shouldn’t be any surprise to see the Cincinnati Bengals careening down power rankings going into Week 4.
A week removed from allowing 41 points and nearly 600 yards, the Bengals went to Buffalo and it was the offense that struggled for most of the game in the loss to the Bills.
Another drop has followed in power rankings.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire dropped them from 19th to 26th:
Rookie tight end Dawson Knox caught his first NFL touchdown pass in a “coverage” where he didn’t have a defender anywhere near him, and Buffalo went smashmouth all day, running the ball 36 times for 175 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals are now 0-3 for the second time in three seasons, and given Andy Dalton’s limitations, there’s no way they’re going to compete unless their defense, which is fairly packed with good players, starts to play at a functional level.
That sort of drop could simply be the beginning, especially if the offense can’t pull it together and limit the struggling defense’s exposure.
But the task doesn’t get any easier this week, not with a trip to Pittsburgh for a game against the Steelers on Monday night looming.
The Bengals are clearly going through some growing pains and have severe problem areas, which the power rankings will continue to reflect until they put together a complete game.
