Bengals ranked the new #1 team in the league by NFL.com, SI, Washington Post, etc

[gettlemanjack]

ESPN: "Optimism nationwide is high for the Bengals. ... Not only are the Bengals winning games, but they are doing so in convincing fashion. Cincinnati is scoring 26.7 points per game this season while its opponents are averaging just 11.0. The Falcons and Ravens, the first two teams the Bengals beat, have collected rather impressive wins in the wake of their respective losses to the Bengals. Atlanta last Thursday pounded Tampa Bay, 56-14."

up next: bye week then Tom Brady and the Patriots

[Falcons1stPanthers2nd]

hard to disagree.

[gettlemanjack]

no other team has a longer current home winning streak than Cincinnati’s 11. (No, not even Seattle.)

[gettlemanjack]

USA Today Sports:

"The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t a won a playoff game in 24 seasons — the longest run of futility in the NFL — but dominant 3-0 Cincy is playing the best football of any team so far this season.

...

The Seahawks may be better. The Broncos may be more explosive. But right now, no one has put together a better opening month than Marvin Lewis and company."

[PandaPancake]

My cat approves of this. Even if I keep telling him he's a Bengal not a Bengal tiger.

[gettlemanjack]

Grantland:

Football’s best team through three weeks, unquestionably, has been the Cincinnati Bengals. One of three teams in the league left at 3-0, the Bengals tower over the competition, as their plus-47 point differential is better than that of their undefeated brethren in Philadelphia (plus-23) and Arizona (plus-21) put together. The team with football’s second-best point differential, Atlanta (plus-31), lost to Cincinnati 24-10 in Week 2 — a game in which Bengals kicker Mike Nugent missed three first-half field goals. In fact, the three teams Cincinnati has beaten this year — Baltimore, Atlanta, and Sunday’s victims, Tennessee — are a combined 5-1 in games in which they’re not playing the Bengals.

...

even after losing TE Tyler Eifert to a gruesome elbow injury in Week 1 and spending virtually all of Week 2 (and bits of Week 3) without star wideout A.J. Green because of a toe problem, the Bengals have been dominant this season.

How have they pulled that off? It starts with their pass defense, which has been incredible through three games.

...

Cincinnati has had the deepest secondary in football for years now under Lewis, and while first-round pick Darqueze Dennard just made his defensive debut at safety for the Bengals this week, Cincinnati hasn’t needed him.

...

A pass rush by committee has produced seven sacks and a whopping 21 quarterback hits across three games, including three sacks and seven hits from defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who appears to be having the breakout season everyone’s been waiting for. The total package is staggering.

Opposing QBs have completed only 54% of their passes vs. the Bengals, while those same QBs have completed 68% of their passes vs. everyone else they played. Those QBs have only 2 TDs vs. the Bengals and 12 vs. everyone else they have played

[gettlemanjack]

NFL.com is calling them the "2013 Seahawks 2.0"

[pstall]

They have talent everywhere. Out of the box on both sides of the ball.

[TheRumGone]

They will fail miserably in their first playoff game

[gettlemanjack]

ESPN:

Bengals' No. 2 Power Ranking is too low...the No. 2 ranking my ESPN colleagues and I collectively gave the Bengals with Tuesday afternoon's release of the Week 4 Power Rankings was too low.

...

Cincinnati -- as a team that looks downright complete in all three phases of its game -- deserved to receive the top spot.

The team is undefeated. It has beaten the teams placed in its path, and convincingly I might add. The 23-16 and 24-10 finals to the Week 1 and Week 2 wins over Baltimore and Atlanta really aren't indicative of how well the Bengals played in both games overall. ... I'm of the opinion the best team in all of football calls Paul Brown Stadium home.

[gettlemanjack]

FOX Sports: "These cubs have become full-grown Bengals."

[R0CKnR0LLA]

I agree with this, though they don't pass out rings and trophies for the best team through week 3.

[gettlemanjack]

Andy Dalton is the only QB who has yet to be sacked this year

[PandaPancake]

Andy Dalton is the only QB who has yet to be sacked this year

No one wants to lose their soul to a ginger.

Someone dye Cam's hair