The Cincinnati Bengals are getting Rodney Dangerfield levels of respect out here in the NFL streets, which is to say, not a lot. They've made a serious change to their offseason tactics at Joe Burrow's behest, and the results speak for themselves.
Well, to be fair, the results don't speak at all just yet. That's how the Bengals can still be slighted in spite of trading for Dexter Lawrence, bolstering their defensive line more in the draft with Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell, and spending big in free agency to further upgrade the defense with Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, and Jonathan Allen.
So what gives? How is Cincinnati still perceived as a close-but-not-quite team in the AFC? The prevailing notion: Seeing is believing.
Bengals on the outside looking in at AFC playoff picture in updated power rankings
Occasional Stripe Hype contributor (TRAITOR — kidding) and NFL Spin Zone writer and Sayre Bedinger is sure to stir up Who Dey Heads by placing the Bengals No. 8 in his latest AFC power rankings.
Here's Bedinger's rationale for Cincinnati missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year, or at least that's the implication as things project to be at present:
"I am probably higher on the Bengals than most at this point. Maybe I'm way too high on the Bengals. But I like what we've seen them do this offseason. You obviously need to factor in a healthy Joe Burrow and supporting cast offensively, but the additions this team has made on the defensive front are worth bumping them up offseason power rankings lists, for sure."
Bedinger also alluded to how much he liked the Lawrence trade, the selection of Howell, and scoring Allen in free agency.
So how does that add up to an eighth-place showing in the conference? Is the AFC that good?
Well, the Bengals' bitter enemy, the Kansas City Chiefs, check in at No. 7 and probably earn the benefit of the doubt by virtue of their three Super Bowls throughout Patrick Mahomes' career. If he's healthy and ready to roll off that torn ACL, it makes sense to give KC the nod.
But some of these other teams: The Chargers at No. 6, and the Jaguars in fifth? Jacksonville just had, by all accounts, a dreadful draft. And Bedinger's top four goes Denver-New England-Buffalo-Houston in that order. This hierarchy is far more skewed toward what happened last year, as opposed to projecting forward to 2026.
The Broncos are primed for a letdown. Bo Nix is not that good of a quarterback relative to the AFC's elite of Mahomes, Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and I could go on.
Plus, Cincinnati has quite arguably the easiest schedule in the AFC. You know who else had a super easy schedule in 2025? The Patriots. To the point where Drake Maye's non-Drake Maye nickname was, "The Schedule."
New England is dealing with a full-blown Mike Vrabel off-field scandal on top of a more difficult 2026 slate. Could be some tough sledding in Foxborough, y'all.
As for the Bills, Allen carries them as much as any QB carries a team in the entire NFL. Their biggest offseason additions were, um, DJ Moore and Bradley Chubb. Forgive me, Bills Mafia, but that's not great roster-building.
That Houston Texans defense is legit. If C.J. Stroud can bounce back from his four interceptions in that Divisional Round loss to the Pats, Houston should be right in the mix for the Super Bowl.
If I had to power rank the AFC right now, taking the offseason far more into account, it'd look something like this: 1) Texans; 2) Bengals; 3) Bills; 4) Ravens (pending Lamar Jackson's contract); 5) Chargers.
Plenty of months to go and more power rankings to break down. Just thought it was interesting that respected voices are still discounting the Bengals despite their undeniable, radical change to their offseason approach to build this team into a legit contender.
Back to the notion of seeing as believing. Those of us in the weeds of Bengals football have witnessed Joe Burrow's greatness. All he needs is a modicum of defensive support from time to time.
The meaningful change within the Bengals organization is plain as day for anyone to see. As long as Burrow stays healthy, in what world will the on-field results not follow?
This isn't typical homerism bias at play. This is just an objective look at what all the talent added to this roster should do for Burrow, and how it should make his job far easier.
We as a collective Who Dey Nation know the dam is about to break. Years of pent-up frustration and losing is about to be redeemed in an epic 2026 season. Look out, world. Thanks to Joey B, the Bengals will reign supreme atop any and all AFC power rankings soon enough. Mark it down now! Feel free to board the bandwagon, too, before it gets too full!
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