NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Eagles collapse in fourth quarter during loss to Panthers

12. Cincinnati Bengals

Cards on the table, there weren’t many people that thought the Cincinnati Bengals would have any chance at defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on the road Sunday night, and rightfully so when looking at how the two teams compare on paper. Even if the Bengals are looking like one of the playoff contenders in the AFC at the moment, deep down it was clear they would be in for a long night against the Chiefs.

Similar to other teams over the first two months, Cincinnati’s defense learned the hard way just how difficult it is to keep Patrick Mahomes II and the rest of Kansas City’s offense in check when seeing how no matter how hard they tried, the unit couldn’t keep them from putting up points. And if failing to compete with the Chiefs wasn’t already frustrating enough, the Bengals missed out on another opportunity to increase their lead in the AFC North, as the loss means they are no longer sitting in first place.

If Cincinnati has any intention of earning a trip to the playoffs to put an end to their two-year drought, these are the types of games that are most important to show they can in fact go head-to-head with some of the best. This was only one game, but if this was a sign of how the Bengals look against true contenders, it’s tough to imagine them advancing in the playoffs if they were to earn a trip come January.