Cincinnati Bengals Must Focus On Consistency After Big Win vs. New Orleans Saints
By Julie Swartz
@julieswartz86
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals went into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and dominated the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, winning 27-10. After a complete meltdown last week against the Cleveland Browns, they looked like a completely different team, executing both offensively and defensively in the game.
But the question remains: Is this the Bengals team fans will see for the rest of the season, or will their inconsistent ways continue?
Andy Dalton looked like the franchise quarterback the Bengals are counting on him to be. It seems as though he used the discouraging performance last week as momentum heading into a tough New Orleans environment. Dalton completed 16 of 22 passes on the day for a solid 220 yards and three touchdowns.
The key stat of the day? zero interceptions. He simply played smart football and made big plays necessary to get his team the win. This must be very relieving for Bengals fans who were probably starting to doubt their QB, as well as hopes for a playoff berth.
Dalton definitely doesn’t deserve all the credit. This was an all-around great team win for the Cincinnati. RB Jeremy Hill provided a balanced attack on the ground, running for an impressive 152 yards on 27 carries. TE Jermaine Gresham had a breakout game, scoring two touchdowns, and A.J. Green looked 100 percent healthy, gaining 127 yards and a touchdown receiving. Games like this make you think the Bengals could go all the way.
The test now for this Bengals team is to continue executing the way they did Sunday. This is proof that they are a good NFL team that should be able to make a playoff run. The problem has been that they just don’t consistently play this well. By that I mean, they go from playing great one week to dreadful the next.
The next few weeks will tell us a lot about this team and whether they have overcome their unpredictable play. For their sake, I hope this is the start of a strong finish to the season.
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