Bengals Ranked WAY TOO Low in Latest Power Ranking, Drop Despite Week 1 Win

An odd drop.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow runs the ball in the first quarter during the home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium on September 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Bengals were barely ranked as an NFL playoff team in Connor Orr's Week 2 Power Rankings for Sports Illustrated. It's a head-scratching placement given Cincinnati just beat one of its toughest opponents on the 2026 schedule, and they have the easiest remaining slate of any NFL team.

ESPN's NFL FPI ranks their remaining 16 games 32nd out of 32 teams in difficulty and gives them the sixth-best chances to make the playoffs, while Orr has them ranked 13th. It's an odd six-spot drop from his preseason ranking of seventh.

"(Dexter) Lawrence was one of the best defensive tackles in true pass rush sets throughout the entire weekend. A major upgrade for Cincinnati," Orr wrote with no explanation for the drop.

Cincinnati seemingly has to keep earning respect despite winning back-to-back season openers for the first time this decade. A win as betting underdogs against the Houston Texans should firmly bump them into the top 10 for all the major power rankings.

"There would have been a balloon pop," Al Golden said about starting fast on Monday. "I get that part of it. As coaches, we sign up for the long haul. We fought. We battled. We did what we had to do. A lot of things we need to correct. I need to do better in two-minute and third downs. Multiple other things I need to do better at to put them in better positions. It’s exciting to play and host a quality team with the fans the way they were to end the game with the offense holding the ball and converting when they had to. That’s huge for us. You wake up today and move on."

Cincinnati is back at practice already this week and hard at work getting ready for what is the best game in the NFL across the Week 2 slate. They are hoping to have a full arsenal of talent, including Joe Burrow (back) and Shemar Stewart (knee)

Check out the full power ranking here.

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