NFL: 5 takeaways from Week 2

The Cincinnati Bengals are Fun

Cincinnati has been a pretty consistently good team in recent years, but one word I never used to describe them was fun.

That’s all changed. The coolest play I saw on Sunday?

Yep, that’s Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu throwing an absolute gorgeous pass to fellow wide receiver Brandon Tate.

It’s not the first time this has happened either. There was also the play from Week 3 in 2012, the first offensive play of the game.

The days of a plodding, slow, meticulous run game built around BenJarvus Green-Ellis are gone. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is putting space back Giovani Bernard in a position to succeed, while rookie second-round pick Jeremy Hill showed his potential as a complement in Cincinnati’s second game.

The amazingness of A.J. Green doesn’t need to be expanded on, hopefully his toe/foot injury isn’t anything serious and he’s back soon.

The defense plays fast and athletic. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has freakish traits when he stays healthy and a not even fully healthy secondary is holding up so far.

On special teams, Adam Jones and Brandon Tate are both legitimate threats to bust long plays with punt and kick return duties, respectively.

The boring feel has always emanated from their dull head coach Marvin Lewis and the red-head quarterback Andy Dalton.

In Dalton’s case that’s even a little bit unfair. His legs are a weapon and allows the Bengals to give some read option looks and he isn’t afraid to throw up 50-50 balls to his WRs. He has his flaws, but his style of play doesn’t prevent them from being aesthetically pleasing.