NFL Week 4 Byes: Looking back, looking forward
By Andrew Garda
Cincinnati Bengals, 3-0
It’s not surprising that the Bengals have climbed atop the AFC North, since every other team in the division has significant problems.
It is surprising that they’ve done it despite a banged up A.J. Green and a quarterback who has thrown all of two touchdown passes. Andy Dalton has been pretty solid this season so far (ranked as the No. 14 quarterback by Pro Football Focus) and has benefitted greatly from a great backfield tandem of Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill.
What is also surprising is that it hasn’t been on the back of its defense, which is ranked a mediocre 17 overall—No. 17 versus the pass and No. 18 versus the run. The defense was a strength the last few years, but so far this season it has been average at best.
The opening three games of the schedule were pretty easy for the Bengals, with convincing wins over Baltimore, Atlanta and Tennessee.
It’s about to get difficult though, as they face three tough teams after the break. The New England Patriots haven’t been any juggernaut but they are always dangerous and could take advantage of the middling play Cincy has put out there on defense. We know the Carolina Panthers have a decimated backfield, but Cam Newton seems unaffected by that or the lack of top end wide receivers outside of rookie Kelvin Benjamin. The Indianapolis Colts feature a ridiculous quarterback in Andrew Luck, who can find the seams in the best defenses, much less one which has taken a step back early in the season.
The Bengals need two things to happen coming out of the break. First, they need a healthier A.J. Green. The offense is better with him healthy and a week off might help. Second they need to get the defense firing off better. While Hugh Jackson has done a good job replacing departed offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, Paul Guenther has seemed less adept at replacing former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
The Bengals are coming up on a portion of the schedule where they need him to get the defense firing on all cylinders and he now has an extra week to work out what has gone on.