If I would have told you the Bengals would be 5-3 entering the bye week, pretty much any fan would have taken it during the offseason.
After all, this is a team that won six and seven games respectively over the last two seasons, and they’re well on their way to surpassing those.
But between the recent two-game losing streak and the near-meltdown against the Buccaneers, not everyone is as high on these Bengals as you’d expect for a team two games over .500 at the midway point.
Some of the latest power rankings actually had the Bengals fall slightly, but on average, they’re back on the rise as they get a much-needed bye week.