NFL Power Rankings: Bengals drop slightly after preseason loss to Buccaneers

The Cincinnati Bengals played their first game of the 2024 preseason over the weekend -- a 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Again, the ultimate outcome of a preseason content isn't nearly as important as what happens between the lines during the game, and any preseason outcome needs to be taken with a grain of salt considering that starters typically play limited minutes, if at all, during preseason play.

That was the case for the Bengals in their preseason opener, as some starters, including star quarterback Joe Burrow, saw the field early on, but they were quickly replaced with rotation pieces for the majority of the minutes. Still though, a loss is a loss.

Bengals drop a bit in rankings after preseason loss to Bucs

For that reason, it's not especially surprising to see that the Bengals slipped slightly on the weekly Power Rankings from NFL Spin Zone. Heading into preseason play, the Bengals were ranked as the No. 5 best team in the league. Following their preseason-opening loss, they dropped to No. 7 overall, but the prognosis is still positive.

From NFL Spin Zone:

"The greatest news for the Cincinnati Bengals in their preseason opener? Not only was Joe Burrow back in action, but he wasn’t sacked or hit a single time in the reps he was given. ... Oh, and the Bengals had a nice touchdown drive while Burrow was out there as well."

Again, it's important to treat rankings like these with a grain of salt and remember that they're reactionary. If a team ranked in the top five loses, it only makes sense that they would drop and another team would rise. But, in the regular season if both teams were playing their starters, would the Bengals lose to the Bucs? Probably not. Hopefully not, at least.

These rankings really don't start to matter until the games do, so it's not worth getting too upset about the Bengals dropping a couple spots. As the Spin Zone alluded to, the fact that Joe Burrow looked healthy out on the field and was able to lead a touchdown drive was much more important that the final outcome of the contest.