There's nothing vastly wrong with the Bengals, they're just nothing special. They're stuck in a cycle after qualifying for the playoffs in 6 of the last 10 seasons, but lost in the wildcard round every single time. They're not a special team, and that's often what is important in Madden - star quality. An 86-rating nestles them just outside of the elite group. After the Seahawks, Broncos, 49ers, Packers, and Patriots, the Bengals are not the best team. That's a fact. On Madden 16, plenty of teams could see a boost, and a slight Bengals dip would drag them closer to the middle ground rather than the top.