The only people happy with the Cincinnati Bengals‘ performance in Week 5 were Ja’Marr Chase fantasy owners, as he scored two touchdowns in what was effectively garbage time. Other than that, it’s rough times in Cincinnati as the team fell to 2-3 after a 2-0 start following their loss to the Detroit Lions.
As a result, the Bengals have plummeted to the bottom quarter of just about all of the power rankings across the board.
Note that all these rankings were published before the Bengals swung the deal to acquire quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns. With that in mind, let’s dive in.
USA Today: No. 25 (Last Week: 23)
Free Jameis Winston, Mike Brown. Do it! Your out-of-whack roster might depend on such a deal to remain viable into November.
ESPN: No. 25 (Last Week: 24)
From Ben Baby: (on RB Chase Brown being a fantasy surprise)
Brown had the potential of being a top-10 running back this season, but that hasn’t come close to materializing as the Bengals have one of the league’s worst offenses. According to ESPN Research, he is 36th among running backs in fantasy scoring per game (6.3-point average in standard leagues). Though Brown hasn’t gotten much help from the offensive line, some of the metrics aren’t in his favor. He ranks 21st in percentage of rushes where he is hit at or behind the line of scrimmage. He has 22 passing targets but has yet to find the end zone there.
The Athletic: No. 25 (Last Week: 25)
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
They’ve gone from Super Bowl hopefuls to a bummer to watch without Joe Burrow. Ja’Marr Chase still nabbed 110 yards and two touchdowns, but Cincinnati can’t run the ball and is really bad defensively. Oh, and Jake Browning threw three interceptions. Other than that, things are going great for the Bengals.
RELATED: Bengals’ Jermaine Burton was reportedly late to practice, now inactive
NFL.com: No. 27 (Last Week: 24)
The decision of whether to stick with Jake Browning was complicated a bit with his fourth-quarter theatrics (three TD passes) against the Lions, although it didn’t whitewash what he did in the first three quarters (three INTs), nor what the quarterback did prior to that. “I threw three picks that were just bad and there’s no hiding from that,” Browning told reporters after the game, much to his credit. He’s put Zac Taylor in an even tougher spot with his body of work since replacing Joe Burrow, and it might be two months before Burrow could be cleared to play — if that’s even something worth considering then. The other option is Brett Rypien, with Sean Clifford on the practice squad. The Bengals remain on life support thanks to a 2-3 record, but Green Bay and Pittsburgh loom next.
FOX Sports: No. 24 (Last Week: 21)
Jake Browning finally played like a useable quarterback in the fourth quarter against the Lions on Sunday. Too bad it was way too little, too late. The same might be said for their season, too.
NBC Sports: No. 26 (Last Week: 25)
It’s well past time to make a trade for a former starting quarterback.
CBS Sports: No. 25 (Last Week: 24)
OK, so can we all admit that Jake Browning can’t lead this team to the playoffs? Should they make a move?
RELATED: Bengals fans are officially ready for the Zac Taylor era to end
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals power rankings roundup: Where Cincinnati ranks entering Week 6
