2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Eagles earn tough win in Carson Wentz’s return
By Dan Parzych
12. Cincinnati Bengals
During the first two weeks of the regular season, the Cincinnati Bengals were playing at a high enough level in which many believed they could be a surprise contender in the AFC following a 2-0 start. And while that may still end up being the case moving forward, the team received a major wakeup call on Sunday on the road when facing the Carolina Panthers.
Losing the game was frustrating for obvious reasons, but seeing Andy Dalton follow up a stellar Week 2 performance by tossing four interceptions against the Panthers shows how brutal of a loss this was for the Bengals. Then again, at least this was only one loss for Cincinnati, and there’s no reason to make that big of a deal just yet since there’s plenty of time remaining after just three games.
On a positive note, at least Tyler Boyd (six catches for 132 yards with a score) continues to be a surprise contributor for the Bengals in the passing game. Cincinnati already knows they have one of the league’s most dangerous receivers in A.J. Green, but more monster games from other players like Boyd will put the team in much better shape to compete in the AFC.