The Cincinnati Bengals’ slide in the Week 5 NFL power rankings was hard to miss after back-to-back losses, and the trend line gets even steeper if they can’t handle Miami with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins out of the mix.
That possibility is already dragging the Bengals down the board in most rankings, with several outlets treating the current stretch as a warning sign rather than a blip.
ESPN dropped Cincinnati to No. 15, down three spots, while noting that the underlying numbers still show some strength. Ben Baby wrote, “The numbers suggest Cincinnati has actually done a lot of good things, as it is 10th in points per drive differential.”
Yahoo! Sports had the Bengals at No. 11, up one spot, but Frank Schwab pointed to a glaring issue: “The running game hasn’t been helping. The Bengals have just 297 rushing yards through four games.”
USA TODAY was the harshest on Cincinnati, slotting the team at No. 20, down three. Nate Davis raised the possibility of Joe Burrow operating without his top targets: “Depending on how long injuries to WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins linger, QB Joe Burrow could be throwing to Dohnte Meyers and Mitch Tinsley.” Nick Shook also tied the latest loss directly to Chase’s importance, writing, “Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars showed the value of Ja’Marr Chase to Joe Burrow and the rest of the Bengals’ offense.”
Pro Football Talk moved the Bengals down eight places to No. 15, and Mike Florio didn’t soften the blow: “The Super Bowl pipe dream is quickly imploding.”
Sports Illustrated had Cincinnati at No. 16, down three. Conor Orr focused on the offense’s design, saying, “The Bengals spent the better part of an offseason building an under-center offense and… it’s almost completely unusable now.” Vinnie Iyer added that the defense has done enough to keep the team afloat, but turnovers remain the issue: “The defense has played well enough to push them to 4-0, but they must cut out the turnovers to be true AFC contenders.”
CBS Sports kept the Bengals at No. 14, unchanged. Pete Prisco highlighted the same injury concern that’s shadowing every conversation around this team: “At 2-2, they have injury concerns with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The offense is so much different if they aren’t around.”
Ryan Dunleavy did not include a Bengals-specific blurb.
The Bengals’ upcoming matchup with the Dolphins was also previewed with former Bengals o-line coach and Hall of Famer Jim McNally.
In Other News...
Rex Ryan Just Sparked A New Bengals Debate Around Joe Burrow
The Bengals have been leaning on Joe Burrow and the passing game to carry the offense, and early in the season the running game has not done much to ease that load. It is the kind of imbalance that can work when the quarterback is humming, but it also puts extra pressure on the passing attack to stay sharp every week.
Rex Ryan recently put that familiar issue back in the spotlight, warning that a team built almost entirely around the pass can run into trouble if it never finds a steadier ground game. For Cincinnati, the concern is not whether Burrow can produce, but whether opponents will start selling out against the pass and force the Bengals to answer with a rushing attack that has not yet shown enough consistency. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A Receiver Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Bengals receiver room has suddenly become a talking point again, and not in the way they would prefer. With Tee Higgins and JaMarr Chase both dealing with injuries, Cincinnati is staring at a familiar problem at the exact moment the offense can least afford it, which is why the idea of adding another wideout has started circulating around the team.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the name getting the most attention in that conversation, thanks to his talent and the kind of fit he would represent in Cincinnatis passing game. It is still only speculation, but the discussion says plenty about where the Bengals are right now: thin at receiver, under pressure to keep the offense afloat, and suddenly in the middle of a debate fans did not see coming. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bengals Star Sounds Alarm On A Problem Burrow Can't Escape
Through the first five weeks, the Bengals offense has been under a familiar kind of stress, and former receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh says the pressure is coming from a spot Cincinnati cannot afford to ignore. He pointed to opponents working the left side of the offensive line to get after Joe Burrow, a problem that has helped disrupt the rhythm of an attack that is still trying to find its footing.
Houshmandzadeh also flagged trouble covering tight ends and noted Burrows two interceptions as costly plays in a season where every mistake seems to carry extra weight. With Miami and Baltimore next on the schedule, the Bengals are staring at a stretch that will test whether those issues can be cleaned up quickly or whether they keep following Burrow from week to week. [Read more 🡒]