Is The Bengals D Super Bowl Caliber?


The Cincinnati Bengals took a weekend business trip to the West Coast. That visit to Oakland may have set the tone for the rest of the 2015 campaign. The defense came out strong, focused, and filled with purpose. The Bengals defense made sure they would get attention. They pitched a shutout into the fourth quarter. They caused flashbacks of the AFC Champion teams of 1981 and 1988. Is the Bengals defense Super Bowl caliber?

In a sport that puts the emphasis on speed and scoring points, being on the defensive side of the ball can be frustrating. In the past few years, there have been rules changes that make it harder to play as an X and easier to be an O. Experts claim the fans want to see the scoreboard light up. But as a football purist, who doesn’t enjoy seeing a clean, bone-jarring tackle?

During their dismantling of the Raiders, the Bengals defense looked as if they knew each play Oakland’s coaches were calling. The Bengals were constantly in the backfield and applied pressure to quarterback David Carr. The furious pressure made Carr constantly check down on his reads. The Bengals defense took the Raiders out of their game plan.

Last year was a struggle for the Bengals defensively. The proud unit slid from third in overall defense in 2013 to 22nd in 2014. Part of that decline was the departure of Mike Zimmer. The Bengals watched him move on to a head coaching position with the Vikings. The defense also suffered the loss of Michael Johnson, who left for Tampa Bay. Geno Atkins was lost to a season ending ACL injury.

Second-year defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has more toys to tinker with this year. Johnson is back from his stint with the Buccaneers, and Atkins is fully recovered. Both of them wreaked havoc upon the Raiders in the opener.

How good is the Bengals defense? Who actually knows? This is only Week 2, and teams are still trying to find a rhythm. But no one can doubt the fact that the Bengals defense was out in full force. They dominated the entire game. The defensive line recorded two sacks, two fast-paced quarterback hurries, six tackles, and a stunning tackle for loss. The defense also held the Raiders to 63 yards rushing.

In a statement to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Michael Johnson talked about the Bengals defensive success.

“We did a good job. We were well prepared. Just got off to a good start and kept it going. Fell off there at the end but we’re going to go back and make the corrections on that and try and get better from it.”

The confidence is there. Now, it has to transfer to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]

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