[h=1]Why Bengals are NFL's best team[/h][h=3]Dominant defense, improved QB play have Cincinnati undefeated early[/h]
By [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Herm Edwards[/FONT] | ESPN Insider
As the Cincinnati Bengals have been a playoff team the past three years, everyone expected that they would be good in 2014. But this good? The Bengals are 3-0 -- the only remaining undefeated team in the AFC -- and rolling into their Week 4 bye.
With an explosive offense, a tenacious defense and the three most complete performances in the NFL, this team has been very impressive. Marvin Lewis, in his 12th season with Cincinnati, has done an excellent job helping his veteran squad through the transition of a new offensive and defensive coordinator. While I picked Seattle and Denver to make the Super Bowl before the season, there's no question that right now, the Bengals are the best team in the NFL.
Here are the biggest reasons:
An efficient offense and improved play from Dalton
I've been very impressed with Cincinnati's offense, beginning with the five men up front. The Bengals' offensive line has allowed zero sacks this season and has given Dalton plenty of time to throw on long-developing routes. Dalton has thrown only one interception, and Cincinnati has zero fumbles.
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Cincinnati has also been more committed to the running game this season under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. This isn't a coincidence, as when Jackson was OC of the Oakland Raiders in 2010, his team was second in rushing yards and first in rushing yards per attempt. Hue is going to run a West Coast offense, running the ball between the tackles and using power formations. He wants to be more physical than the other team, and it shows. Just look at the table to the right comparing last season's offense to the 2014 version.
[h=4]Bengals Play Calling[/h]*Through First 3 Weeks
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What's most significant here is that even though Cincinnati is running the ball far more often (51.6 percent of the time to 38.0 last season), the Bengals are only gaining 3.6 yards per rush. Jackson knows that the running game will eventually break off bigger gains, but by sticking with the run, he eliminates potential mistakes from Dalton, gives his defense time to rest and controls the clock.
While Dalton in particular hasn't put up gaudy statistics so far this season, he has been terrific in one area that he previously struggled with: facing pressure. This has been a knock on Dalton previously. According to ESPN Stats & Information, in the first three games last season, he was 5-of-13 for 30 yards, took five sacks and had a Total QBR of 3.0 when under pressure.
This season?
He's 7-of-9 for 166 yards and a Total QBR of 68.7.
Dalton still will need to prove himself in the postseason, but he can't do that until he gets there. Right now, this team will succeed if he continues his strong decision-making and the defense continues to play well.
An improved, veteran defense
Speaking of the defense, there hasn't been a more impressive group over the first three weeks of the season. Under new coordinator Paul Guenther, this group is blitzing more overall (30.1 percent this season versus 25.5 percent in 2013) and specifically on third downs. They have generated at least two turnovers each game. And they have helped the Cincinnati offense start with the second-best field position in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders.
With Geno Atkins back healthy, this group has dangerous edge-rushers on the outside (Carlos Dunlap, Wallace Gilberry) who have the ability to exploit one-on-one matchups. Several of Cincinnati's linebackers are athletic and cover well in space. And most importantly, they have a veteran unit led by the secondary.
Their three starting corners have 28 years of NFL experience between them, and Terence Newman was a safety when he was with the Cowboys. There are no formations these guys haven't seen, and they've started as a group together for several years. It's huge for a new D-coordinator to come into a situation with veterans on the back end who know how to cover for each other and what routes offenses are more likely to run. This group isn't as fast as it used to be collectively, but it makes up for that with terrific technique and feel.
And the Bengals are deep on the back end. Just think about this: Marvin praised first-round cornerback Darqueze Dennard this preseason and training camp, calling him the best rookie corner he's ever seen in preseason. The Bengals also have former first-rounder Dre Kirkpatrick. Those guys are their fourth and fifth corners right now. That's tremendous depth and will help the Bengals when teams try to spread them out.
There will be more challenges for Cincinnati, as the Bengals finish with five of seven games on the road. But this team showed me a lot winning Week 1 in Baltimore, a really tough place to play. With a dominant defense, an efficient offense and better play from Dalton, the Bengals are off to a terrific start. They are the best team in football right now.
By [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Herm Edwards[/FONT] | ESPN Insider
As the Cincinnati Bengals have been a playoff team the past three years, everyone expected that they would be good in 2014. But this good? The Bengals are 3-0 -- the only remaining undefeated team in the AFC -- and rolling into their Week 4 bye.
With an explosive offense, a tenacious defense and the three most complete performances in the NFL, this team has been very impressive. Marvin Lewis, in his 12th season with Cincinnati, has done an excellent job helping his veteran squad through the transition of a new offensive and defensive coordinator. While I picked Seattle and Denver to make the Super Bowl before the season, there's no question that right now, the Bengals are the best team in the NFL.
Here are the biggest reasons:
An efficient offense and improved play from Dalton
I've been very impressed with Cincinnati's offense, beginning with the five men up front. The Bengals' offensive line has allowed zero sacks this season and has given Dalton plenty of time to throw on long-developing routes. Dalton has thrown only one interception, and Cincinnati has zero fumbles.
<offer></offer>
Cincinnati has also been more committed to the running game this season under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. This isn't a coincidence, as when Jackson was OC of the Oakland Raiders in 2010, his team was second in rushing yards and first in rushing yards per attempt. Hue is going to run a West Coast offense, running the ball between the tackles and using power formations. He wants to be more physical than the other team, and it shows. Just look at the table to the right comparing last season's offense to the 2014 version.
[h=4]Bengals Play Calling[/h]*Through First 3 Weeks
| Category | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Pass percentage | 62.0% | 48.4% |
| Rush percentage | 38.0% | 51.6% |
| Yards per pass | 7.5 | 8.9 |
| Yards per rush | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Yards per play | 5.5 | 6.1 |
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What's most significant here is that even though Cincinnati is running the ball far more often (51.6 percent of the time to 38.0 last season), the Bengals are only gaining 3.6 yards per rush. Jackson knows that the running game will eventually break off bigger gains, but by sticking with the run, he eliminates potential mistakes from Dalton, gives his defense time to rest and controls the clock.
While Dalton in particular hasn't put up gaudy statistics so far this season, he has been terrific in one area that he previously struggled with: facing pressure. This has been a knock on Dalton previously. According to ESPN Stats & Information, in the first three games last season, he was 5-of-13 for 30 yards, took five sacks and had a Total QBR of 3.0 when under pressure.
This season?
He's 7-of-9 for 166 yards and a Total QBR of 68.7.
Dalton still will need to prove himself in the postseason, but he can't do that until he gets there. Right now, this team will succeed if he continues his strong decision-making and the defense continues to play well.
An improved, veteran defense
Speaking of the defense, there hasn't been a more impressive group over the first three weeks of the season. Under new coordinator Paul Guenther, this group is blitzing more overall (30.1 percent this season versus 25.5 percent in 2013) and specifically on third downs. They have generated at least two turnovers each game. And they have helped the Cincinnati offense start with the second-best field position in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders.
With Geno Atkins back healthy, this group has dangerous edge-rushers on the outside (Carlos Dunlap, Wallace Gilberry) who have the ability to exploit one-on-one matchups. Several of Cincinnati's linebackers are athletic and cover well in space. And most importantly, they have a veteran unit led by the secondary.
Their three starting corners have 28 years of NFL experience between them, and Terence Newman was a safety when he was with the Cowboys. There are no formations these guys haven't seen, and they've started as a group together for several years. It's huge for a new D-coordinator to come into a situation with veterans on the back end who know how to cover for each other and what routes offenses are more likely to run. This group isn't as fast as it used to be collectively, but it makes up for that with terrific technique and feel.
And the Bengals are deep on the back end. Just think about this: Marvin praised first-round cornerback Darqueze Dennard this preseason and training camp, calling him the best rookie corner he's ever seen in preseason. The Bengals also have former first-rounder Dre Kirkpatrick. Those guys are their fourth and fifth corners right now. That's tremendous depth and will help the Bengals when teams try to spread them out.
There will be more challenges for Cincinnati, as the Bengals finish with five of seven games on the road. But this team showed me a lot winning Week 1 in Baltimore, a really tough place to play. With a dominant defense, an efficient offense and better play from Dalton, the Bengals are off to a terrific start. They are the best team in football right now.
