NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: 49ers, Texans make statements as contenders
By Dan Parzych
31. Cincinnati Bengals (30)
While some will make the case the Cincinnati Bengals deserve some credit for keeping Sunday’s meeting with the Baltimore Ravens closer than expected, it still doesn’t help that Zac Taylor’s team will enter Week 7 still in search of their first win.
Rivalries tend to bring out the best in teams, and when looking at how well the Bengals played the Ravens at times over the years, there was some hope that Cincinnati would be able to pull off a potential upset in this one.
Unfortunately, the Ravens turned out to be too much for the Bengals to handle, and Sunday’s 23-17 loss just adds to the list of frustrations that have been on display in Cincinnati throughout the 2019 season.
Not even the argument that Cincinnati deserves some benefit of the doubt for having to adjust on offense without A.J. Green can be used as an excuse at this point since there’s still plenty of talent for Andy Dalton to work with.
Maybe with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town in Week 7, the Bengals will have a legitimate shot at earning that first win on Sunday, although who really knows what to expect from this Cincinnati team at this point.