AFC North Power Rankings Week Two
By Brett Foote
Sep 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
1. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals may be the only 2-0 team in the AFC North, but they also just plain look like the best team among the four. After a solid but uneven performance against a struggling Ravens team in week one, they simply dominated the Falcons in week two.
After Matt Ryan exploded for 448 yards passing with 3 touchdowns against the Saints in week one, the Bengals held him to 238 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in week two. The defense limited the Falcons rushing attack to 97 yards on the ground in a game that wasn’t ever really close.
While it’s true that the Falcons have a terrible defense, you have to give the Bengals props for finding a way to keep scoring after A.J. Green went down. The offense is much more creative under Hue Jackson, and Andy Dalton deserves kudos for turning several broken plays into big gains (thanks to Gio Bernard as well).
Right now, this is the team to beat in the North, until somebody proves otherwise.