In an NFL season in which mediocrity has reigned supreme, it’s been hard to pinpoint legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
There are two obvious choices, of course, in the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. After that, there are at least some questions about every other team.
One team that’s starting to look more and more like a contender, though, are the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are one of the NFL’s six undefeated teams and are coming off an impressive come-from-behind win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Andy Dalton is playing the best football of his life, the Bengals have weapons at every offensive position and their pass rush is among the best in the NFL. They have just about all the pieces a team needs to make a deep run, yet we keep coming back to the same sentiment: They’re still the Bengals.
So until the Bengals prove they can do it in January, we won’t get too crazy saying they’re ready to make a legitimate push for the title. But for now, we’re very impressed.
See where they fall in this week’s NFL power rankings below.
1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1): The Patriots had another good matchup against a decimated Cowboys team, but head coach Bill Belichick sounded impressed with his team, which says a lot.
2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2): The Packers’ offense is without its No. 1 receiver and its starting running back has been hobbled for a good chunk of the season. Yet, the Packers have won all five games by an average of 11 points.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 4): The Bengals’ day started in an inauspicious manner against Seattle, but the Bengals stormed back with a win that certainly gives them some validity. If Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis don’t get in the way, this team has the potential to contend in the AFC, especially with a fantastic pass rush and plenty of offensive weapons.
4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3): There’s no way the Broncos can sustain this, right? The defense has been lights-out, but there are so many questions with the offense, most notably being old noodle arm, Peyton Manning.
5. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 6): OK, so it might seem a little weird to put the Cardinals ahead of two undefeated teams, but I just can’t wrap my head around the NFC South as legitimate contenders. The Cardinals, on the other hand, still feel like they’re for real.
6. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 5): The Falcons showed us that maybe they’re not necessarily the juggernaut we saw in the first four weeks. However, you have to be impressed by their ability to find a way to win when things weren’t going smoothly. We won’t be totally ready to buy in until they start doing it on the road, though.
7. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 7): Coming out of a bye, the Panthers are going to get a real big test this week on the road in Seattle. Carolina’s scored just 29 points in three games vs. Seattle since the start of the 2013 season.
8. New York Jets (Last week: 9): Sheldon Richardson is back in the fold, which should boost an already stout Jets defense. This has all the makings of a trap game, though, with the Redskins in town and the Patriots on the Week 7 docket.
9. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10): OK, so the Colts have won the games they’re expected to win — three AFC South games — and didn’t look great in the process. However, they did so without Andrew Luck, and this week’s matchup with the Patriots presents the Colts with a season-changing opportunity.
10. New York Giants (Last week: 12): The Giants have bounced back nicely after an 0-2 start, thanks in large part to Eli Manning, who’s thrown only two interceptions through five games. He had three games last season where he threw at least that many picks.
11. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 8): Six teams enter Week 6 undefeated, and the Seahawks will have played three of those teams after Sunday’s matchup with the Panthers.
12. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 16): It would be a lot easier to buy into the Bills if three of their best playmakers — Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams — were healthy. The defense can win them games against the likes of Tennessee, but that won’t cut it this week against Cincinnati.
13. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 17): Slight uptick for the Vikings, as they enjoyed their bye week. They’ve got three real winnable games out of the bye, too, with Kansas City, Detroit and Chicago all on tap.
14. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 14): The Rams, like many teams, need a quarterback. They’ve got everything else, though. Their impressive defense forced three Aaron Rodgers turnovers, and their running game is legit, as evidenced by Todd Gurley’s 305 yards over the last two weeks. Then Nick Foles goes and throws four interceptions.
15. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 15): The Cowboys did some really nice things Sunday, like sacking Tom Brady five times and relatively slowing down Rob Gronkowski. But it’s damn-near impossible to overcome their offensive injuries, especially against the Patriots.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 13): Monday night’s win was exactly what the Steelers needed, with any win they can bank with Ben Roethlisberger on the sidelines being vital. That’s especially true with a matchup against the Cardinals looming.
17. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 11): The Chargers were the beneficiaries of the NFL’s latest incompetency, but they still choked away a win Monday night.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 23): Imagine if the Eagles got to play the Saints every week? They’d be really good! In all seriousness, the Eagles will be much more dangerous if they’re getting DeMarco Murray involved like they did Sunday (127 total yards on 27 touches).
19. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 24): Mike Pettine easily could have stuck with Johnny Manziel after the young QB showed flashes of brilliance in relief of Josh McCown in Week 1. Here we are entering Week 6, though, and McCown sits eighth in the NFL with a 102.8 passer rating.
20. Washington Redskins (Last week: 20): Washington gave the Falcons fits, and showed moxie getting the game to overtime. But then Kirk Cousins goes and throws away the game in overtime, and it’s like, oh yeah, the Redskins.
21. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 19): So everyone (myself included) gave the Chiefs a break through the first four weeks of the season given their ridiculously difficult schedule. However, coughing up a lead and losing late at home to the lowly Bears … that’s rather indefensible.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 25): The Bucs head into their bye on a winning note, but things could get dicey when they come back, as they’ll go to D.C., to Atlanta and then host the Giants.
23. Chicago Bears (Last week: 28): Jay Cutler made some beautiful throws down the stretch, and the Bears could be back to .500 by this time next week, as they’re going to Detroit in Week 6. What a world.
24. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 22): The Raiders aren’t very good, but they’re not awful, either. They’re getting there, but they’re not quite there yet. That sums things up, no?
25. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 18): OK, so it’s pretty clear that last week’s win against Pittsburgh was more of a reflection of the banged-up Steelers playing poorly than the Ravens finding their way. What a disastrous five weeks for a team that had high hopes entering the season.
26. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 21): If you’ve got a crap offense — which the Eagles had through the first four weeks — then the Saints are the cure to what ails you. Philly averaged 19 points through four games before hanging 39 on the Saints.
27. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 27): Credit where it’s due: I didn’t think the 49ers stood much of a chance going into the Meadowlands in primetime against the Giants, but they gave Eli a game.
28. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 26): The Dolphins had the week off, so at least they didn’t embarrass themselves. They could even get themselves a win next week against the Titans, but don’t hold your breath.
29. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 29): Do you know how hard it is to formulate a thought every week about the Titans? It’s insane.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 32): The Jaguars jumped two spots this week after losing to Tampa Bay, and that’s your weekly reminder of how bad this league sucks right now.
31. Detroit Lions (Last week: 30): The Lions are horrible, and their struggles start with Matthew Stafford. So much for this guy, huh? If getting benched for Dan Orlovsky isn’t rock bottom, I shudder to know what is.
32. Houston Texans (Last week: 31): Pretty sure this past Thursday night will be the last time this season the Texans are favored to win a football game — especially without a starting quarterback.
Thumbnail photo via Mark Zerof/USA TODAY Sports Images
