Power Rankings: No joke -- Bengals are serious contenders

Updated Nov. 10

Crazy. Nuts. Stupid. Typical Prisco.

I know that's what many of you said, and it's what many of my colleagues said, when I picked the Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs.

But in the past few weeks, I'd be a rich man -- OK, I would be able to buy a nice tuna sandwich -- if I had a dollar for every time I've heard this:

"When you picked the Bengals, I laughed. I guess you were right."

Halfway home, I might be.

We've seen teams fall apart in the second half of a season -- especially teams like the Bengals, who have had a dark cloud following the franchise for years. But I'm starting to get the idea this is a different Cincinnati Bengals team.

You are as well.

It's OK to admit it. The Bengals are a good team. They are this year's Arizona Cardinals.

The 6-2 Bengals dominated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in a 17-7 victory that wasn't as close as that score. The victory gave them a sweep of the Ravens, keeps them atop the AFC North and sets up a huge showdown this week at Pittsburgh.

It also validated them. When the Bengals went to Baltimore and won earlier this season, some saw it as a fluke. The Bengals scored to win it in the final seconds, but they played well most of that game. Yet Baltimore's trip to Cincinnati saw the Bengals as 3-point home underdogs.

That was laughable. The Bengals are better. They showed it Sunday.

They are now No. 5 in our CBSSports.com Power Rankings. Fifth? Even I didn't think they'd be this good.

What they have is a top quarterback (Carson Palmer), a good running game with Cedric Benson and a defense that features the best pair of young corners in the league, Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. And, oh by the way, Chad Ochocinco is having a heck of a season.

If the Bengals can go into Pittsburgh and win this week, it would give them a sweep of the two teams in their division that played in the AFC Championship Game last January, the two teams most picked to battle to win the AFC North. That won't be easy beating the Steelers at Heinz Field, but they get a break with Pittsburgh coming off a Monday night road game.

Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis projected a confident image when I spent time with him this summer at training camp. You could tell he had an idea his team would be better.

"I think you're going to the playoffs," I told him.

"I hope you're right," he said.

I'm right. As nutty as it sounded then, it doesn't anymore.

The Power Rankings after Week 9:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They're finding ways to win, but they aren't playing great. The offense is moving the ball, but not scoring touchdowns. That can't happen this week against New England.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	The schedule gets tissue soft the rest of the way, except for a game or two. They might really start talking undefeated season.
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	The concern coming out of the bye is Brett Favre's injured groin. Or at least he says he's injured.
	4	Patriots · Trends	5
	They have a firm grip on the division heading to the second half, but to have a chance at the top seed in the conference they need to win at Indy. The way their offense is getting cranked up, it's definitely possible.
	5	Bengals · Trends	6
	The way their defense is playing, they will be around come January. They can run, throw and play defense. Yes, they're good.
	6	Steelers · Trends	7
	Don't look now, but here come the champs. They have a huge rematch with the Bengals this week in Pittsburgh. They had better win, or risk going the wild-card route.
	7	Cowboys · Trends	9
	Dallas is suddenly a hot team in first place. Where did all those problems go? The defense is really coming on. How do you contain Miles Austin?
	8	Broncos · Trends	4
	Still raving about the way Kyle Orton manages the game? Didn't think so. You need more than that. They are limited offensively.
	9	Eagles · Trends	8
	Hard to believe their offense wend dead against Dallas. Now they have to go to the West Coast and face a surging San Diego team. The last time they went west, they lost at Oakland.
	10	Cardinals · Trends	11
	Weird team. Can't win at home, but they dominate on the road. They are easily the class of the NFC West.
	11	Falcons · Trends	15
	They have to be thrilled with how their coach took up for them on the sideline last week. Mike Smith doesn't back down, and neither do his players. They have to be careful at Carolina this week.
	12	Chargers · Trends	14
	At 5-3, they are now just one game behind the Broncos in the division. So much for being buried. The Eagles will be a tough game this week.
	13	Giants · Trends	12
	They limp to the bye with four consecutive losses. No team has won a Super Bowl after losing four consecutive games during the season.
	14	Texans · Trends	13
	They showed well at Indy, but at some point they have to win a game like that. It's the wild-card route at best for the Texans now.
	15	Ravens · Trends	10
	At 4-4, they have to get it going or they could be playoff-less. Their passing game went dead at Cincinnati.
	16	Jets · Trends	19
	They come out of their bye at .500 and face another .500 team in Jacksonville. They can't afford another loss, not with New England the following week.
	17	Jaguars · Trends	20
	They go to the second half at 4-4, which is a good sign for this young team. At some point, though, they have to win a game on the road like the one they have this week at the Jets.
	18	Packers · Trends	16
	Maybe they're just not as good as we thought they were going to be. They have issues on their offensive line that show up every week.
	19	Bears · Trends	17
	Remember when the Chicago Bears meant defense and nasty football? Now they can't stop anybody. There is nothing black and blue about the way they play now. It's just blue.
	20	Dolphins · Trends	18
	The good news is that Chad Henne is improving. That bodes well for next season, even if the playoffs this season look unlikely.
	21	Panthers · Trends	21
	They are playing better, but to have any playoff shot they have to win at home against Atlanta on Sunday. That won't be easy.
	22	Seahawks · Trends	24
	They actually looked good in the second half against Detroit, but that's nothing to get overly excited about. There is still a lot of work to do.
	23	Bills · Trends	23
	They had a bye, which they badly needed. It could mean Trent Edwards is back. Watching Ryan Fitzpatrick play, you know how much they need Edwards taking snaps.
	24	Titans · Trends	29
	Vince Young is 2-0 as a starter. Really? It helps that Chris Johnson is running wild.
	25	49ers · Trends	22
	Has the hype about this team subsided? They've lost four consecutive games, one at home to the Titans. Ouch.
	26	Raiders · Trends	25
	Hard to believe they're this high, but it says a lot about the bottom of the league. It isn't good.
	27	Chiefs · Trends	26
	Larry Johnson is gone, but does it matter? This isn't a good team right now, with or without him. So why keep him?
	28	Redskins · Trends	27
	How low can they go? You want to point a finger? Blame the men at the top. They didn't do a thing about the offensive line this spring.
	29	Rams · Trends	28
	Here's a hunch: They will be improved in the second half. There are a lot of young players who are starting, and the improvement will show.
	30	Buccaneers · Trends	32
	Josh Freeman showed that he might be their franchise passer of the future. He made some plays in the victory over Green Bay. Maybe they should keep the throwback jerseys they wore that day.
	31	Lions · Trends	30
	There will be calls to pull Matthew Stafford, but that makes no sense. This team isn't going anywhere, so let him learn on the job.
	32	Browns · Trends	31
	Wonder who's getting fired this week? Expect Brady Quinn in as the starter, and that's the way it should be.