2024 NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Biggest risers and fallers after Week 9

16. Cincinnati Bengals

The more the season rolls along, the more I just can’t help but wonder how much the Bengals are going to be climbing up this list. With the way we’ve seen them handle some of the worst teams on their schedule so far this year, we expected the Cincinnati Bengals to kind of have their way with a bad Raiders team, but we didn’t expect it to be this bad.

For the second time this season, Gardner Minshew has been benched mid-game for the alternative option. This time, it was Desmond Ridder.

The Bengals forced the issue in this game and got to 4-5 on the season, which is huge for them because they are obviously hoping to steal a wild card spot in the AFC with the AFC North having two of the best teams in the entire NFL right now (Steelers, Ravens). This win doesn’t move the needle in terms of the opponent the Bengals played, but it really just doesn’t matter. The Bengals are on the rise and teams aren’t going to want to play them as the year rolls along.

15. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos had a really tough draw this week going into Baltimore and facing off against a ticked off Ravens team. And the Ravens played ticked off in this one. The Broncos got whooped from start to finish of this game, turning the ball over on their first possession of the game and the Ravens took advantage.

The Denver defense has been stellar almost all year, but the offensive arsenal of the Ravens was simply too much for the Broncos to handle. The game was actually close at one point (17-10) but the Ravens scored 24 unanswered points starting near the end of the second quarter and the Broncos just had no answers.

This is one game the Broncos will be burning the tape defensively, but learning from their plethora of mistakes. The Ravens have an offensive juggernaut and the Broncos have a slim margin for error. It was always going to be tough for the Broncos but giving the Ravens extra possessions was crushing.