AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals maul the Kansas City Chiefs

The Bengals have set themselves apart as one of the most balanced, consistent teams in the NFL. Their match up against the Kansas City Chiefs proved their success so far this season is more than a fluke or good luck. The Bengals are just good.

If the Bengals and the Steelers make it to the postseason, the Steelers can draw comfort from the Bengals tendency to choke and underperform in postseason play. Meanwhile, however, the Bengals are several steps ahead of the Steelers and are showing no signs of losing momentum. To contrast, the Steelers have struggled with many problems ranging from the injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and an unreliable placekicker.

With their victory over the Chiefs, the Bengals are still undefeated at 4-0. The Bengals defense operated as if the Chiefs were playing without an offensive line, pressuring Alex Smith snap after snap. Impressively, Smith ended up throwing for 386 yards and was 31/45. The teams only points came from field goals (must be nice having a kicker that reliable.) Dalton, on the other hand, threw for 321 yards and was 17/24. He had one passing touchdown, while Giovanni Bernard had one rushing touchdown, and Jeremy Hill had an impressive three touchdowns on the ground.

This was not Dalton's best game, but the Bengals have proven they can win consistently. The next step is to win against teams that are more formidable than the Raiders, Chargers, Ravens, and Chiefs. Next week they play the Seahawks at home followed by the Bills on October 18 and then the Steelers on November 1. Another test of their true competence will come on November 22 when thy face off against the Arizona Cardinals.