Cincinnati Bengals vs. Chicago Bears: At Last! Game Shows What Bengals Could Be

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

This is what the fans have been waiting for. This is what the coaches have been asking for. This is what everyone associated with the Cincinnati Bengals, from owner Mike Brown to the water boys, has been praying for.

It wasn’t the blowout victory, although that was nice. It wasn’t the no-turnover performance by the offense, although that was helpful. It wasn’t even the Bengals' bouncing back from a tough loss to deliver a dominating performance.

No. Quite simply, the Bengals played their first complete game of the season, and the results were not only exceptional, they were staggering.

Carson Palmer threw five touchdowns passes— two of them to Chad Ochocinco. The Bengals scored on their first seven possessions of the game, producing six touchdowns. Cedric Benson had a career day, rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown. The defense forced four turnovers.

There were no dropped passes. There were no critical fumbles or interceptions. There were no drive-killing penalties. There were no missed tackles. The Bengals just executed for four quarters.

What a difference.

To be sure, a complete game effort isn’t going to produce a 35-point blowout every week. It might not even produce a win every week.

But the Bengals proved they might just be one of the league’s elite teams with their 45-10 drubbing of the Chicago Bears. When everyone played the way they were supposed to for four quarters, there was no stopping Cincinnati.

After a bye next week, the Bengals draw tougher opponents than the Bears in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. We’ll see just what sort of character they have after a week off and when playing tough divisional opponents.

But if their mindset is right, the Bengals should remember two things: they’ve beaten both of those teams already, and a complete game is what they need to guarantee victory.

It’s too early to predict wins in those match-ups, but the long-awaited full-game effort by the Bengals against the Bears serves as inspiration— to both the fans and the team— that Cincinnati can do whatever it wants, no matter the opponent.

If Sunday's effort becomes the norm, then opponents will be yearning for those incomplete games from earlier in the season.

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