Who Dey, Who Dey, Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals
Nooooooobody
At least not yet.
If the opening drive of the game was any indication, the Cincinnati Bengals were ready to take down the Super Bowl Champs of two years past in the Seattle Seahawks. After receiving the kickoff, the Bengals marched on an impressive 7-play, 86-yard opening drive for an early 7-0 lead. They picked up right where they left off the previous four weeks. But then the Seahawks responded with an opening drive touchdown of their own and after a beautiful 72-yard pitch and catch from Dalton to Green was called back because of holding, things quickly went downhill for the home team. Seattle used the next two quarters to build a 24-7 (24 unanswered) lead heading into the fourth. In years past, this game would have been over. The Bengals however had other ideas.
Just how difficult is it to come back from such a deficit so late in the game? In the last five seasons, teams were 0-427 when trailing by 17+ points in the 4th quarter. You read that right. Not a single team had overcome such a deficit. On Sunday, that stat wasn’t the only hole the Bengals had to overcome. They had to do it against a top-5 defense that boasts the ‘Legion of Boom’. Against all those odds, there was no chance for a comeback. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Dalton and Co. found another gear, beginning with the often overlooked aspect of the game – special teams.
After forcing a quick three-and-out to start the 4th, Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones returned the ensuing punt 35 yards, taking it to the Seattle 33. Four plays later, the Bengals trimmed the lead to 10, shifting the momentum in the process. The next Seattle drive stalled after just 5 plays, and Dalton orchestrated another 11-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. And after yet another Hawks three-and-out, the Bengals scored for the third consecutive possession, adding a field goal to tie the game and force overtime. Cincinnati then capped off the unbelievable comeback with a field goal in the extra quarter, becoming the ONLY TEAM in the last five seasons to erase such a deficit. Against all odds, Dalton rallied his troops and shocked not just the Seahawks, but the rest of the league.
The win could very well be the launching point to special season brewing in Cincinnati.
With one of the best o-lines in the league, and a plethora of weapons, this team is primed to make a run. The missing link over the years (and in the last sentence): Quarterback. Many believe the issue in Cincinnati over the past four seasons has been its quarterback. Amid other issues, It has been the one thing that has kept them from advancing in the playoffs. With an abundance of talent, they’ve fielded a playoff team in each of Andy Dalton’s first four years at the helm, but the result has been the same every year – a loss. If they could just find a way to get consistent quarterback play, they could become contenders. Last year, Dalton improved and showed some signs of becoming great, but still lacked consistency. This year is another story. Through the first five weeks of the season, the ginger is absolutely on fire and erasing such doubts. So much so, that you could argue he’s off to the best start of any quarterback in the league.
His numbers to date:
108/160 (67.5%) 1,518 yards (303.6/game), 11 TD, 2 INT, 83.7 QBR, 115.6 Rating
Through 5 games, Dalton has the best QBR in the league. Not Brady, not Rodgers, but Andy Dalton. There’s no doubt the season is still young and the one thing about Dalton is that he’s bound to falter. Everyone is just waiting for Bad Andy to return. But what if he doesn’t? What if he continues to play at this level? Well in that case, this team will be dangerous. All the pieces are their, and have been for some time, but it’s the quarterback that must put it all together. Off to a 5-0 start, the Bengals have all the tools in place to be Super Bowl contenders, including the man behind center. In what has been a wacky start to the season, this could be a prime opportunity for a team like Cincy to take the next step, and at the very least WIN a playoff game.
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