The Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl Contenders

The Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl Contenders

The Bengals look like contenders again after Sunday’s 34-17 win over the Falcons. Their 6-2 record would mean little without the way they’ve been winning. After losses to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville left them 2-2, they’ve won four straight and scored 31, 35, 43 and 34 points. That’s almost 36 points a game in the stretch where good teams usually separate themselves. Against Atlanta they gained 388 yards at 7.1 yards per play and didn’t turn the ball over once. Atlanta led 10-7 after the first quarter, and then Cincinnati scored 24 straight points. The game was effectively over by halftime.

The main reason to believe in them is Joe Burrow. He completed 24 of 29 passes (82.8%) for 271 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, a 140.1 passer rating, and he also ran in a touchdown himself. The receivers are as dangerous as ever. Ja’Marr Chase answered Atlanta’s opening score right away with a 47-yard touchdown, and Tee Higgins caught two short touchdowns. A quarterback who’s this efficient with two receivers like that can beat anyone in January. Even the kicking game helped: Evan McPherson hit a 57-yarder right before halftime.

The defense isn’t dominant, but it’s been opportunistic. The Bengals intercepted Michael Penix, forced a fumble and won the turnover battle 1-0. When Atlanta pulled within 24-17 in the third quarter, the defense held and the offense answered with another Higgins touchdown. That’s what contenders do. The win at Baltimore was even more telling: 35-13 against a division rival on the road, the kind of game that used to give this team trouble. Through all of it, they’ve kept their discipline. Atlanta was flagged 12 times for 88 yards on Sunday, and Cincinnati only six.

They still have a lot to prove. The Falcons ran for 157 yards at 6.5 a carry, and the Bengals didn’t sack Penix once, so the run defense and pass rush need to improve before the playoffs. The AFC North is also crowded: Pittsburgh is 6-2 too, and right now the Bengals are only the AFC’s No. 5 seed. That’s why next Sunday night’s home game against the Steelers matters so much. It’s a chance to get even for the Week 3 loss and take control of the division. Cincinnati also has Kansas City at home on Dec. 13. Even so, a team with an elite quarterback, two No. 1-type receivers and a reliable kicker that’s scoring 30-plus every week is a real threat to win the Super Bowl.