2020 NFL Power Rankings, Week 11: Patriots stun Ravens, Cardinals win on Hail Murray

This season was never going to end with the Cincinnati Bengals as contenders, and that’s okay. The goal was always to try and get Joe Burrow acclimated to the NFL and find out which players they could build around him with.

So far, things are working out as far as that goes as Burrow continues to impress — even though he did struggle against Pittsburgh in Week 10. They’ve also found some keepers such as Tee Higgins as well as a few others, who were already on the roster before this season began.

One such example is pass rusher Carl Lawson, who stood out in this one according to Ben Baby of ESPN — as he pointed out his “silver lining” from the team’s loss.

"“Silver lining: Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson continues to have a pretty decent season. While Lawson didn’t register a sack, he was credited with six quarterback hurries, which is a good sign for a defense that desperately needs its defensive linemen to produce consistent pressure. It’s unclear what Lawson’s future will hold once his rookie contract expires at the end of this season. Either way, Lawson could earn a nice contract somewhere in 2021.” — Baby, ESPN"

As Baby says, there’s no guarantee Lawson will stay in Cincinnati but they should be interested in keeping him around. They will need to add a lot more around him, but he’s one of the young players who could improve this team.