The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their season exactly how everyone needed them to, with a huge 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. Forget that final score for a second, because the Stripes dominated almost the entire game. Seriously, one bad break, a single Joe Burrow mistake, and boom, the Bucs got a gifted score.
Defense Showed Up Big Time
The box score doesn’t lie about the defense, though. They put on a show. A solid offensive effort was definitely there, but the defense was competent, only letting up 20 points, and they absolutely feasted, forcing four turnovers. Four! That’s massive, right? You’d think that kind of performance would send them rocketing up the power rankings. Well, it’s not as simple as it seems.
Rankings Still Sleeping On The Stripes After That Dominant Performance?
Despite that electrifying start, and all those turnovers, the league’s big-time power rankings are playing it surprisingly cool. What gives? Over at USA Today, Nate Davis only bumped them up one measly spot to No. 9. Yeah, he did give props, writing that “Sunday’s defensive effort should sow hope for the Stripes amid their modest offensive debut,” but come on, only one spot after *that* game? Then you got Conor Orr at Sports Illustrated, still putting them outside the top 10 at No. 13. He highlighted the impact of “Lawrence” as one of the best defensive tackles in true pass rush sets throughout the entire weekend, calling him “a major upgrade for Cincinnati.”
ESPN also pulled a similar move, giving them just one spot up, landing them at No. 15. The writeup there made sure to note that Boye Mafe, leading all Bengals linemen with 37 snaps, matched rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell with four pressures each. Mafe was a beast, too, bagging a sack, forcing a fumble, and recovering a fumble. Yahoo Sports wasn’t putting them in the top 10 either, with Frank Schwab slotting them at No. 12. Schwab even warned that “Turnovers aren’t guaranteed to carry over week to week but the Bengals forced four, including one that was returned for a touchdown.” He straight up wondered if Cincinnati could be one of those “good teams to live off having a great offense and a defense that takes chances and makes a few game-changing plays. That would be enough.”
Finally, The Athletic gave them the biggest boost, a two-spot jump to No. 14. Chad Graff and Josh Kendall were hyped to see Joe Burrow finally get some defensive help. They pointed out that “the bar might have been on the floor for that side of the ball after last season, but the new-look Cincinnati defense came to play against Tampa Bay, forcing four turnovers and notching four sacks.” Get this: it was an “especially impressive win” even with star wideout Ja’Marr Chase only catching two passes for 12 yards. Wild, right? The defense was *that* good.
So, the Bengals kicked off their season strong, showcasing a defense that can absolutely change the game with turnovers and sacks, even if the offense had a “modest debut” and Ja’Marr Chase was quiet. The league’s not quite ready to crown them with a top-tier ranking just yet, mostly giving them small bumps. Can this defense keep making those game-changing plays every single week? That’s the real question going forward. It feels like they’ve sent a message, and now it’s about sustaining that energy.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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