power – Syndication Server

Where do Bengals stand in post-draft power rankings?

New power rankings after the draft have the Cincinnati Bengals in an interesting spot.

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Now that the Cincinnati Bengals have completed most of the offseason’s roster overhaul and have official dates for rookie minicamps, OTAs and training camp, it’s time to review.

Meaning power rankings, of course.

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire has us covered on that front, listing the Bengals 29th in his post-draft rankings:

“Well, this matters: The Bengals lost their two best defenders (edge rusher Carl Lawson and cornerback William Jackson III) in free agency and failed to replace them with equivalent talents. The 4-11-1 Bengals could be in for a tough go, though the passing game will be fun to watch.”

It’s all fair, too. As we’ve written here often, the Bengals will take a big gamble on whether Trey Hendrickson can keep producing at a high level after an outlier of a season and the cornerback room will feature its first three or four names making debuts with the team in Week 1.

But as always, the Bengals will have to prove doubters wrong on the field to really start seeing some change in the power rankings. Keep in mind a brand new offensive line is a big part of the equation too.

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Cam Newton defends Patriots final play call in loss to Seahawks

Cam Newton and the Patriots looked unstoppable Sunday night when they were in power.

Cam Newton and the Patriots looked unstoppable Sunday night when they were in the power formation.

The first two times they lined up in power on the goal line, Newton scored two one-yard rushing touchdowns and had the announcers wondering how to stop the play.

This earlier success made it unsurprising when with three seconds left and the Patriots on the Seattle goal line down 35-30, they once again lined up in power. But the third time was the charm for the Seattle defense, as defensive end L.J. Collier met Newton in the backfield and secured the Seattle win.

After it was over, a dejected Newton watched the play and put the blame on himself.

“I just didn’t make everybody right and that’s the only thing I regret,” Newton said. “In that type of situation, it’s humbling to be able to have the respect of a team to have the ball in my hands. I just have to deliver. I saw a clip of it; I could’ve made it right by just bouncing it (outside). I was just trying to be patient. Just thinking too much, man. Or even just diving over the top. There’s so many things that flashed over me.”

“Playing a fast defense like that, as soon as you guess, you’re wrong. I’ll definitely learn from this. The play was there. The play was there all game. Moving forward, we just got to scheme up things and being put in that situation again, hopefully we can have a better outcome.”

Newton acknowledged they may have ran the play one to many times, but that it was one of their favorite plays for a reason.

“That’s a play we had favored in the game plan – we ran it a couple times,” Newton said. “Figured, you know, probably went to the well one too many times, but at the end of the day, staff felt confident about it. We just have to execute and I could’ve bounced it – looking at the clip. I just got to be better. Got to be better here at the end. We put ourselves in position to win. When you do that, you’ve got to finish.”

Get To Know LSU CB Kristian Fulton Before The NFL Draft

Former LSU star cornerback and 2020 NFL Draft prospect Kristian Fulton shares his favorite things, including the best place to get wings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his favorite NBA team (don’t call him a bandwagoner) and more.