22. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had to win out and get some help to earn the AFC North title in the 2025 NFL Season, and that did include beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, but that did not happen, and it’s turning out to be another lost season for the Bengals.
Joe Burrow was very good in this game but did throw two late-game interceptions, which were not ideal, but Burrow is still among the best. He tossed four touchdown passes and threw for nearly 300 yards in bad conditions.
There isn’t much to like about the Bengals in 2025 besides Burrow and, obviously, the two elite wide receivers. That clearly isn’t enough in today’s NFL, though.
21. Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury in the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and, all of a sudden, the Colts’ once-promising season has turned upside down. The team traded two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner and does not have a first-round pick until 2028.
Indy was once 7-1 on the season and atop the AFC, but this is the NFL, and the reality can be brutal sometimes. Now without much direction, the Colts are going to have to hope that the rest of the QB room, namely Riley Leonard, a rookie, can do enough to squeeze out another win or two.
The AFC South is definitely out of range at this point, but perhaps a Wild Card berth could be enough to infuse some direction into a franchise that has had QB issues for years now. Daniel Jones likely has a recovery time that could be up to 12 months.
The Colts crater in our power rankings.