NFL Power Rankings: Panthers, Patriots and Bengals at the top entering Week 14

(10-2). Previous: . cincinnati bengals. 3. team. 56. <p>Good golly, Miss Molly did the Cincinnati Bengals look good on Sunday. Sure they were playing the hapless Cleveland Browns, but still: it was the Battle for Ohio, y’all!</p> <p>Andy Dalton didn’t even throw 20 passes, but he didn’t need to. A few strikes to A.J. Green and this one was out of reach. It’s kind of a shame that the pair has been so ineffective in the playoffs, because they deserve to get much more shine than they do on a national basis.</p> <p>Speaking of Green, at this point he’s pretty much staked his claim as the game’s best wide receiver. Megatron is a monster, but has been inconsistent over the past two seasons. And Julio Jones, while exceedingly talented, can’t get past the injury bug and deficiencies of his mercurial running mate Matt Ryan (he can ask Larry Fitzgerald what it’s like being plagued with a sporadic quarterback).</p> <p>Looking ahead, everything is on the line for the Bengals next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sure the division is all but locked up, but driving a stake in the heart of the Steelers in front of a rabid Bengals crowd would do well for a team that is consistently thought of as soft (even though Cincy has won more than its fair share of tight games this year).</p> <p>The midseason blip is past, and the Bengals are again firing on all cylinders.</p>