The Bengals may have spent their bye week on the couch, but the AFC North handed them a gift anyway.
Cleveland’s 13-10 rally over Baltimore on Sunday tightened the division mess in a hurry, leaving every team with two losses and making Cincinnati’s trip to Baltimore in Week 7 suddenly even more important. It was the kind of bruising, ugly AFC North game that looks straight out of a different era, and it changed the feel of the race in one afternoon.
The Browns are the first big plot twist. Their win made the rebuild look much further along than expected, especially after this offseason.
Cleveland has apparently landed the better end of the Myles Garrett trade so far, and it still pulled off the win without No. 1 running back Quinshon Judkins or Travis Hunter trade compensation Mason Graham. That only raises the question of what this team might look like down the road with a real quarterback, aka not Deshaun Watson.
Even with Watson, though, the Browns can win the North this year. Who would've thought?
Baltimore, meanwhile, walked out of the game with more questions than answers up front. The Ravens offensive line looked like a weak spot in Week 6, and that matters for a Bengals team whose own defensive front has become a real strength.
Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen may be able to work the middle against Baltimore, and Derrick Henry managed just 58 yards on 17 carries. That came with Tyler Huntley at quarterback in Lamar Jackson’s place, but even if Jackson tries to play in Week 7, he could be walking in rusty.
There’s also the bigger issue of what keeps happening to the Ravens in these spots. Baltimore has now blown its 17th double-digit lead since 2018, the most in the NFL over that stretch.
That’s not just a bad day. That starts to feel like a pattern.
Henry’s fourth-quarter fumble and the missed field goal only added to the feeling that the Ravens keep finding new ways to let games slip away.
And that’s why Cincinnati still has every reason to believe the division is there for the taking, even after the rocky stretch that followed its 2-0 start. The Steelers barely escaped the Jalon Daniels-led Bucs in overtime, the Bengals’ loss to Pittsburgh was helped along by two special teams mistakes, and both Baltimore and Cleveland looked ordinary in Week 6. Put it all together and the North looks wide open.
That’s the frustrating part for Cincinnati. The Bengals opened the season looking like a pseudo-juggernaut with wins over the Bucs and Texans, then spent much of the next three games playing sloppy football.
Zac Taylor’s hot seat might have gotten a little warmer without the early bye to cool things off. A win in Baltimore, regardless of whether Jackson plays, would go a long way for him.
Still, there’s no need for Cincinnati to panic or overreact. The path is still there.
Three of the Bengals’ last four divisional games are at home, and their final two games against the Ravens and Browns come at Paycor. The division feels unsettled, and the Bengals still have plenty of chances to control their own fate.
In Other News...
Bengals Get A Timely Break Before A Crucial AFC North Stretch
The Bengals get a little breathing room in the middle of a demanding early schedule, with a Week 6 bye giving the roster a chance to reset before the AFC North race tightens up. It is the kind of pause every team values, but especially one that knows how quickly the division can turn into a week-to-week grind.
Cincinnati comes out of the break with a trip to Baltimore on Oct. 25, a game that will immediately put the spotlight back on the Bengals in one of the NFLs toughest neighborhoods. With the rest of the regular-season slate already mapped out through Week 18, the bye simply adds another layer of importance to how they handle the stretch that follows. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Already Have The Fix For Zac Taylors Offense
Through five weeks, the Bengals offense has looked like a unit searching for answers in two key places: the run game and the ability to create cleaner separation on the outside. Zac Taylors group has had enough talent to stay dangerous in stretches, but the way personnel has been deployed has left room for a different look, especially with the offense trying to become less predictable and more balanced.
One potential path forward is already on the roster, and it starts with players whose skill sets fit the problems Cincinnati is trying to solve. Dohnte Meyers brings a versatility that could help in the receiving mix, while the tight end group may offer the kind of formation variety this offense has lacked. If the Bengals are going to get more out of their newer under-center looks and force defenses to account for more than the same familiar alignments, the next move could come from a couple of names who have not yet been used to their full advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals 2023 Draft Class Is Headed For A Tough Roster Call
The Bengals are staring at an early look at a familiar roster dilemma, with several members of their 2023 draft class moving toward free agency after the season. Jordan Battle, Chase Brown, Andrei Iosivas, Myles Murphy and DJ Turner II all give the front office something to weigh, because this is the stage of the cycle when good homegrown players start getting expensive and the team has to decide where to keep investing.
Turner stands out as the one the Bengals appear most motivated to protect, while the rest of the group could end up in the category of productive but replaceable if the price climbs too high. Cincinnati has never shied away from letting useful players walk when it believes it can redirect resources elsewhere, and this class could become the next test of how far that approach can stretch before the turnover starts to alter the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]