The Bengals Are 4-1? Believe It!

David Campbell by Contributor Written on October 11, 2009
BALTIMORE - OCTOBER 11:  Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks passes against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 11, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Bengals defeated the Ravens 17-14. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

A team that believes in itself is a dangerous thing. In a league where every team is separated by only the slimmest of margins, a team that truly believes it can win can go a long way.

 

The Bengals have proved that all season and on Sunday, they took it the next level. Cincinnati went on the road, faced a division rival and beat one of the best teams in the league on a touchdown pass in the final minute.

 

It’s nothing new for these Cardiac Cats, who have come down to the wire in each of their five games this season. The Bengals have won four of them, and arguably should have won the other.

 

Talent is everything, but it means nothing without the true belief in your heart that can you overcame whatever obstacle that is thrown in your way.

 

"No talent, all heart!" tackle Andrew Whitworth yelled as he ran off the field.

Despite a 3-1 start, the Bengals have had their share obstacles, most of them self-inflicted. On Sunday, Cincinnati had another horrific performance by its kicking game, yet when push came to shove; it was the Bengals that were celebrating after the game.

 

The scary thing for opposing teams has to be the fact that Cincinnati has yet to play a truly good game. In every game this season, the Bengals have been lucky to survive. Critics will go as far as to point out that the team is as close to 0-5 as it is 5-0.

 

But that’s not the point. You don’t get style points in the NFL. If you’re chasing a berth in a BCS bowl, looking good means as much as being good. In the NFL, it’s “Just win, baby.”

 

Nobody epitomizes that better than Carson Palmer, who has been the architect of each of the Bengals’ late-game heroics. The forgotten man in a league that worships quarterbacks, Palmer missed virtually all of last season with an injury and as a result, has taken a back seat to the league’s crop of new stars.

 

But Palmer is still one of the game’s top gunslingers and

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written on October 11, 2009 Opinion

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