Power ranking trend points decidedly in Bills favor vs. Bengals: What to know
The NFL power rankings this week heralded the Cincinnati Bengals' and QB Joe Burrow's return to form after the beat San Francisco 49ers 31-17.
"Joey B. and the boys are back," FOX sports gushed.
And many of these same sites were fainter in praise of the Buffalo Bills, who beat the Tamp Bay Buccaneers 24-18.
"... a closer-than-it-shoulda-been win over the Buccaneers ..." said NFL.COM.
Obviously it's because the 49ers (5-3) are a better team than the Bucs (3-4).
The Bills (8.7) have a marginal lead in their average ranking over the Bengals (9.0). But Buffalo's lead is more commanding when you look when you look at it a different way: In 8 of the 11 rankings, the Bills were higher than those cats from Ohio.
And that decisive edge offers a glimmer of hope for Bills fans as the game vs the Bengals nears:
USA Today
Bills ranking: 8 (no change)
Bengals ranking: 10 (⬆ two spots)
Bills: Now it's back to Cincinnati for a Sunday nighter, 10 months after S Damar Hamlin's frightening cardiac event on a Monday night ultimately took the starch out of this squad at the end of the 2022 season. Hopefully Week 9 provides a nice forum to celebrate Hamlin's medical saviors and offers some closure for a team that seems to need a lift.
Bengals: They seem to be back, QB Joe Burrow looking quite spry and highly accurate Sunday as Cincinnati won for the fourth time in its past five games. But speaking of four out of five, the Stripes will face Buffalo, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville over the next five weeks.
NFL.com
Bills ranking: 9 (no change)
Bengals ranking: 11 (⬆ one spot)
Bills: After a closer-than-it-shoulda-been win over the Buccaneers, the proving-ground portion of the schedule kicks off, starting with Sunday Night Football in Cincinnati against the scorching-hot Bengals, who thumped the Bills in the playoffs this past January. It feels like a game that will come with a playoff-like atmosphere, as could some other big roadies down the stretch: at Philly in Week 12, at Kansas City in Week 14 and at Miami in Week 18. Josh Allen's big outing against the Bucs — though it was accompanied by a few scary moments — helped steady Buffalo's ship a bit, but there is plenty to clean up before this gauntlet. You'd like to see the Bills close the door better in fourth quarters. With the defense as shorthanded as it is, can they do it against even better teams?
Bengals: Don't look now, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals are hot, with the offense and defense quickly making huge strides following a 1-3 start. Sunday's victory over San Francisco marked the first time this season one could say Cincinnati resembled a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. Burrow connected on 19 straight passes at one point against the 49ers, and the Bengals' defense forced three turnovers, holding the Niners to 10 points over the final 48-plus minutes. Getting Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon back in a little groove helped, and Cincy could have scored more, had Irv Smith Jr. not fumbled near the goal line. The Bengals are back, just in time for a huge matchup at home vs. the Bills on Sunday Night Football.
CBS Sports
Bills ranking: 7 (⬆ six spots)
Bengals ranking: 8 (⬆ six spots)
Bills: They got the offense back on track against the Bucs, but now they face a tough road prime-time game against the Bengals. That will be another proving game for this inconsistent group.
Bengals: Coming off their bye, they rocked the 49ers. Joe Burrow was back to being Joe Burrow after struggling with a calf injury since the summer.
Pro Football Talk
Bills ranking: 10 (⬆ two spots)
Bengals ranking: 11 (⬆ seven spots)
Bills: They’re going to have their hands full in Cincinnati.
Bengals: Here they come.
Sports Illustrated
Bills ranking: 10 (no change)
Bengals ranking: 5
Bills: Six catches on six targets for Khalil Shakir was encouraging. Less so? Seven more rushes for Josh Allen, who is tied for the NFL lead in designed runs called for him, according to the 33rd Team’s EDGE tool. The dropoff from Stefon Diggs to any other receiver was so stark prior to their victory over Tampa Bay. Gabe Davis has about half the amount of targets at the moment. Turning Allen into more of a big point guard is the secret to getting him through November and December in one piece.
Bengals: The entire city of Cincinnati exhales on a third down with 11 minutes to go in the first quarter when Joe Burrow pulls an Eli Manning, removes himself from the grasp and fires a dart to Tee Higgins on the sideline. Or, maybe the scramble at the beginning of the third quarter when he smashed his fists on his helmet afterward. He’s back. Meanwhile, finishing a game where Brock Purdy is the 49ers’ leading rusher is an incredible accomplishment. Sans Trent Williams, the Bengals took advantage. It would not be surprising to see them at No. 1 in the power rankings at some point soon.
Touchdown Wire
Bills ranking: 6 (⬆ one spot)
Bengals ranking: 7 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: The Bills tried their hardest to let the Buccaneers win on Thursday night, but alas, they did just enough to not screw it up. They now gear up for a potential AFC Championship Game preview with the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Bengals: Sweet Caroline, the Bengals are back. Joe Burrow played as close to a flawless game as he could, throwing only four incompletions and three touchdowns. The Bengals look like their normal selves, and they are getting hot at the right time. Next up — the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.
33rd Team
Bills ranking: 9 (⬆ one spot)
Bengals ranking: 8 (⬆ four spots)
Bills: The Buffalo Bills got back on track against the Buccaneers last Thursday. The most encouraging aspect of that game is QB Josh Allen was able to spread the ball around. Last season, the Bills’ offense was very reliant on WR Stefon Diggs, which became a problem against other contenders. Allen has a significantly better supporting cast on offense this season. The Bills face a big test when they travel to Cincinnati on Sunday night.
Bengals: The Cincinnati Bengals came off their bye and decisively beat the 49ers in San Francisco. Not only did QB Joe Burrow make it clear he’s back, but their offensive line played its best game of the season. Cincinnati has played in each of the last two AFC Championship games. After winning three in a row, the Bengals are as dangerous as anyone.
Pro Football Network
Bills ranking: 8 (⬆ up two spots)
Bengals ranking: 9 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: The Bills won a one-score game against the Buccaneers, but the game was not as close as the final score.
Bengals: It might be safe to say that Joe Burrow is back. The 49ers defense managed only four incompletions over Burrow’s 32 attempts. While Cincinnati always seemed to have the upper hand on San Francisco throughout the game, it wasn’t until a few Purdy turnovers that the Bengals took control of the game.
The Sporting News
Bills ranking: 10 (no change)
Bengals ranking: 9 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: Speaking of the Bills, they went back to letting Josh Allen loose with his running and passing and it got the offense somewhat going again, with major help from a traditional rushing attack. But the defense still is undergoing transitional pains vs. the pass.
Bengals: The Bengals have the real Joe Burrow back after their injury-riddled start. Now looking at it, they are right there with the Ravens, Steelers and Browns in the tough AFC North battle. They put it all together at the right time ahead of facing the Bills in a playoff rematch.
Yahoo! Sports
Bills ranking: 9 (⬆ one spot)
Bengals ranking: 10 (⬆ two spots)
Bills: The Bills looked good against the Buccaneers, though the way they let up in the fourth quarter almost cost them a win. A Week 9 game at Cincinnati should let us know if the Bills can still be a Super Bowl contender this season.
Bengals: Maybe the Bengals are back. Those issues that seemed hard to fix a few weeks ago all were fine when they were dominating the 49ers' defense on Sunday. We can pretty much go forward assuming Cincinnati has returned to being a top team, though a Week 9 game against the Bills will be telling.
FOX Sports
Bills ranking: 10 (no change)
Bengals ranking: 11 (no change)
Bills: Rarely will you see a team nearly lose a game it had dominated so thoroughly. Thursday's win against the Buccaneers never felt close — right up until Tampa Bay almost completed a game-winning Hail Mary. It was nice to see the Bills' offense fire on all cylinders for a few quarters, but maybe don't take your foot off the gas so early next time.
Bengals: Joey B. and the boys are back. It's one thing to win three out of four, but bullying the 49ers at their own place is an achievement of its own. Even if we think the Niners have taken a step or two back, this is still the most complete team the Bengals have beaten — and they got the job done on both sides of the ball. It took a minute, but Cincinnati finally looks like a team to fear.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills vs Bengals: NFL power rankings trend point toward Buffalo win
