The bye is here, and the Bengals are in free-fall mode.
The Cincinnati Bengals have hung in almost every game and have problem that they can play with some of the best teams in the NFL, barely losing to the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
In their Week 11 primetime Sunday Night Football battle, they drew the Los Angeles Chargers and lost 34-27 after digging themselves a 24-6 halftime hole. The Bengals defense has been horrible to say the least, and now they will get to regroup on a bye week and look towards the Steelers at home for their Week 13 battle.
That said, following the loss that made the Bengals 4-7, let’s dive into where the national media has them placed.
USA Today — No. 15 – Same as week prior
Soul-crushing losses the past two weeks significantly reduce their chances of surviving into postseason. But no one wants to see Joe Burrow and Co., the quarterback the first in the Super Bowl era to lose three games in a season when he throws for at least 300 yards, three TDs and zero INTs, per NFL Media.
New York Post — No. 20 – Same as week prior
ESPN — No. 20 – Down from No. 18
Going off the numbers, Cappa did not have a very good campaign in 2023. And those same metrics suggest this season hasn’t gone much better. Cincinnati’s right guard ranks 60th out of 62 qualifying players in pass block win rate at that position (87%). Sure, the Bengals’ offensive linemen are under more duress than their peers because of how much Cincinnati drops back to pass. But after being a priority signing following the team’s Super Bowl LVI loss, Cappa is part of an interior group that has struggled at times. — Ben Baby
Yahoo! Sports — No. 21 – Down from No. 16
The Bengals are down to a 10.7% chance to make the playoffs, via DVOA, and that seems optimistic. If the Bengals post double-digit losses, is head coach Zac Taylor in trouble? Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo might be.
Pro Football Talk — No. 22 – Down from No. 18
How many heartbreaking losses can they take before they fold the tents on 2024?
CBS Sports — No. 20 – Down from No. 16
It’s too bad they can’t stop anybody on defense and their kicker has gone bad. This would be a dangerous team if they made the playoffs.
NFL.com — No. 21 – Down from No. 18
The best the Bengals can finish now is 10-7, and that requires them running the table from here out, with two games remaining vs. the Steelers. The playoff dream isn’t dead, but it’s certainly on life support. Early in Sunday night’s thriller, everything was going the Chargers’ way, and anyone watching could see how disgusted Joe Burrow and the gang looked as the Bengals fell into a 27-6 hole. Incredibly, they not only pulled out of that, tying the game at 27-all, but the Bengals absolutely looked like the better team at that point, almost destined to pull off an all-time comeback. Instead, they took what was most likely another step toward missing the postseason, and it happened in the stadium where their Super Bowl hopes were crushed a few years ago. At their best, the Bengals can hang with virtually anyone in the NFL. At their worst, they’re just as capable of giving games away. Sadly, that has become the theme for the season: close, painful losses caused by self-inflicted wounds.
Sports Illustrated — No. 22 – Down from No. 14
More than anything, I think this Bengals season was a failure to capture a vibe. This team looked incredibly defeated on the sideline against Los Angeles Sunday and while it’s hard not to when you miss field goals on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter, the fact that everyone except the quarterback and maybe one or two of his playmakers on any given play look like there’s some fight left in them reflects something in the process that seems to be missing.
Sporting News — No. 20 – Down from No. 16
The Bengals dug themselves a big hole, and it keeps getting harder to dig out — mentally and physically — with tough competition on the schedule.
