Fox Sports Analyst Leaves Bengals Off Seven-Team Super Bowl Contender Ranking

A new championship-tier ranking from Fox Sports has placed the Cincinnati Bengals outside the NFL’s top group of Super Bowl hopefuls for the 2026 season, a notable exclusion given the team’s offensive ceiling under quarterback Joe Burrow.

Steven Ruiz, an analyst for the Fox Corporation-owned network, identified seven teams as legitimate title threats heading into the season: the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans. Cincinnati did not make the cut.

Instead, the Bengals landed in a secondary tier that Ruiz described as teams capable of reaching the Super Bowl but unlikely to win it. He acknowledged the upside of Cincinnati’s offense, writing that it has the potential to reach “some serious highs,” but expressed doubt about whether the franchise can put together an elite season overall.

Ruiz’s reservations centered largely on the defensive side of the ball. While he credited Cincinnati’s defense with improving, he still characterized the unit as appearing “mediocre” this year. By contrast, the offense under Burrow was not the primary concern, with many observers expecting that group to perform at a high level.

Cincinnati stands out as one of the more prominent omissions from the list. The Bengals remain part of Fox Sports’ wider Super Bowl discussion, but the ranking suggests they must demonstrate on the field that they belong among the league’s top championship contenders.

The piece originated with Bengals Wire, part of the USA Today network, and was subsequently picked up in syndication by Yahoo Sports. Rankings of this kind are a staple of preseason coverage for sports media outlets, which use tiered contender lists to drive engagement ahead of opening weekend.

Fox Corporation, parent of the network behind the ranking, operates as a news, sports and entertainment company with cable network programming and television segments. The stock closed out the most recent session at $65.18, up 1.84% from a prior close of $64.00, with a market capitalization of roughly $26.85 billion.

What to watch

• The Bengals’ early-season performance, particularly how the retooled defense performs against expected playoff-caliber opponents.
• Whether Cincinnati’s offense converts its perceived upside into results under Burrow.
• Updated contender rankings and power lists from Fox Sports and other outlets as the 2026 season unfolds.
• Fox Corporation’s next quarterly earnings report, which will cover advertising trends tied to NFL coverage.

Source: original release