Bengals take win streak into bye

Associated Press

cincinnati

Midway through October, the Cincinnati Bengals already have matched their win total from last season. They’ve won three in a row — their best such streak since 2009 — and they’re headed into the bye week feeling they can be a contender.

No one expected this from such a young team.

A 27-17 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday took the Bengals to a place that no one expected. They’ve rallied to win games in front of small crowds that reflect the lack of interest in a team with so much recent baggage.

“We’re going to get better,” offensive guard Bobbie Williams said. “So it doesn’t matter what people think because we know what we can do.”

So far, they’ve proved they can win games with a combination of steady defense and just enough big plays out of a very young offense.

The defense was ranked No. 1 in yards allowed for two consecutive weeks, slipping to No. 3 after the game against the Colts. The Bengals ranked seventh overall in points allowed and haven’t given up more than 24 in any game.

The offense has been getting a little better each week with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie receiver A.J. Green leading the way. Green leads the team with 29 catches for 453 yards and four touchdowns. Dalton has thrown seven touchdowns and five interceptions, improving his passer rating to 84.3, which is roughly the league average.

“We’re getting better every week, and that’s what we have to do,” Dalton said. “We have to keep improving and continue fixing the little things. We’ll see what happens from there.”

The overriding questions coming out of their bye week will be: Can they keep this up as the schedule gets tougher? And can they get back to filling their stadium?