Are the Bengals Finally Legit?

I’m just gonna start out by saying that I understand that their two wins over the Colts and Ravens are not exactly the quality wins that usually inspire these types of articles, especially when they are followed by a tough loss to a Carolina team with plenty of holes in its lineup. However, while they are not perfect by any means, the improvement is pretty remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that they may do something that they haven’t done since 1991; win a playoff game.

I know that this seems very premature. A couple of stupid mistakes cost them their last game against Carolina, and A.J. Green had to leave with a groin injury. But still, they look like a serious threat to win their division with the Steelers struggling, their early win over the Ravens, and the Browns being the Browns. Once that happens, anything is possible. Plus, since Green’s injury isn’t severe and they are playing some inexperienced players, they may only get better. As long as they don’t see any major injuries, this may finally be the year they see the second round.

Basically, the Bengal’s success can be boiled down to three things; Andy Dalton playing as well as he ever has, finally having an established run game, and a defense that for once ins’t the football equivalent of Swiss cheese. Dalton and their running back’s solid performance seem very sustainable. Dalton has plenty of weapons around him, headlined by one of the best receivers of all time, while their Mixon-Bernard 1-2 punch will keep defenses guessing for the rest of the year. Its the defense that is going to have to prove itself. It’s forced five turnovers in its first three games, and its pass rush has been very solid as it has recorded 7 sacks already. It still has a lot to prove, though. It has yet to hold an opponent to under 20 points, and still has games against the Falcons, Chiefs, and Chargers, as well as two against division rival Steelers. All of those are capable of going for 40+ points on a given night, so the Bengals will really have to play their best. If they really are good enough to make it through that gauntlet, though, winning a playoff game doesn’t just seem possible, but even likely.

It isn’t going to be easy. Their defense is finally good enough to keep them in games, but they still are going to have to lean heavily on their offense. A bad injury to any of their key receivers or Dalton could easily derail them out of a 17th game, but if that doesn’t happen, this may finally be the year that Cincinnati can say they won a playoff game. And it would only have taken them 27 years too…