There are only a couple of teams in the NFL that remain undefeated. ESPN’s Herman Edwards believes one of those teams is the best in the league right now.
The former head coach and ESPN analyst wrote a piece on Insider proclaiming “the Bengals as the best team in the NFL.”
Edwards explained his opinion by pointing out the Bengals improved offense, stingy veteran defense and Andy Dalton finally taking the next step.
The Bengals’ offensive line has allowed zero sacks this season and is finally giving Dalton plenty of time to throw on long-developing routes.
Dalton for his part has thrown only one interception. A ton of credit has to go to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. The Bengals have been more committed to the running game this season under Jackson and it’s paying dividends.
As far as the defense, Edwards pointed to the return of Geno Atkins as the biggest difference.
With Geno Atkins back healthy, this group has dangerous edge-rushers on the outside (Carlos Dunlap, Wallace Gilberry) who have the ability to exploit one-on-one matchups. Several of Cincinnati’s linebackers are athletic and cover well in space. And most importantly, they have a veteran unit led by the secondary.
Their three starting corners have 28 years of NFL experience between them, and Terence Newman was a safety when he was with the Cowboys. There are no formations these guys haven’t seen, and they’ve started as a group together for several years. It’s huge for a new D-coordinator to come into a situation with veterans on the back end who know how to cover for each other and what routes offenses are more likely to run. This group isn’t as fast as it used to be collectively, but it makes up for that with terrific technique and feel.
I don’t know if the Bengals are the best team in the NFL, but they will be a factor in the AFC when it’s all said and done.