Bengals vs. Falcons: 2 Teams Quickly and Quietly Joining the NFL's Elite

As the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons faced off in Week 2 of the preseason, the rest of the league should have been watching very closely. These are a couple of the best teams in the NFL.

It's difficult to truly get excited about the preseason. It doesn't mean much. Even if the starters play into the second quarter, no coach is rolling out his entire playoff for advance scouts. Backups that look good against other backups generate hype, but they get cut all the same.

Yet it was almost difficult not to get excited as the clock ticked down to kickoff.

The starters didn't disappoint in this matchup.

Matt Ryan was 11-of-11 at one point, finishing 18-of-21 for 174 yards and a touchdown. Andy Dalton didn't get as much opportunity to throw, but he lofted a perfect rainbow to A.J. Green for a 50-yard touchdown. Dalton finished 8-of-14 for 125 yards and a touchdown.

As good as the offenses were, the defenses were crisp and relatively mistake-free for a preseason game, which ended as a 24-19 Bengals victory.

Sure, it was preseason, but one couldn't help feeling like these are two of the best young teams in the NFL.

This current iteration of the Falcons has grown up in the shadow of the New Orleans Saints. As the Saints joined the NFL's elite with Drew Brees and a host of weapons around him, the Falcons have largely stayed the course, building through the draft and trying to keep their free agents.

Then, all of a sudden, Thomas Dimitroff flipped the switch. He traded way up in the 2011 NFL draft and grabbed Julio Jones. The Falcons also picked up Ray Edwards. This offseason, the big acquisition is Asante Samuel—almost daring NFC South quarterbacks to throw at them.

The Bengals took a slightly different road on their way to the top. Hitting on Andy Dalton was never a sure thing, but the 24-year-old has performed as well as could be expected in his short career. Coming in during the lockout and leading the Bengals to a 9-7 record was above and beyond the call of duty.

Like the Falcons, the Bengals are leaning heavily upon a young talented receiver, A.J. Green.

Green and Jones know each other well, their paths first crossing as the best and second-best receivers in the 2008 college recruiting class. Which receiver was first was a big topic of conversation, and nothing was settled when both picked SEC schools.

In 2011, the two receivers would battle for top draft position.

Now? Though they will rarely face off on the field, the debate will continue: Which talented wideout is the best young receiver in the NFL?

The two head coaches, as well, are familiar with each other's work.

Mike Smith of the Falcons and Marvin Lewis of the Bengals were both defensive assistants for the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2001. Together, they helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl under Brian Billick (with little to no help from the offensive side of the ball), Smith serving under Lewis along with many other bright young defensive minds—Jack Del Rio, Rex Ryan and others.

From that cradle of coaches, Smith and Lewis learned a lot about team management and staying the course. Both have had to deal with "hot seat" talk (deserved or not) and have come through on top.

The defenses they've built in their respective cities have a lot in common as well. For the most part, everyday NFL fans have no idea how good they are.

Geno Atkins, defensive tackle for the Bengals, might be the best player no one knows about. He's been better than bigger names like Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy, and he's done it in relative obscurity.

The rest of the Bengals defense is full of second-chance guys, "has beens" and "never weres." Taylor Mays, Adam "Pac Man" Jones, Terence Newman, Nate Clements, Reggie Nelson, Michael Johnson, Carlos Dunlap—all guys passed on elsewhere (or in the draft) for various reasons.

The Falcons defense, though anchored by John Abraham, has a lot of "no-name" talent as well. Sean Weatherspoon, Brent Grimes and Stephen Nicholas are all fantastic players that have the ability to stand up to high-flying offenses like that of the Saints as well as ground-and-pound attacks like that of the Carolina Panthers.

Neither team has a clear road to the top of their division.

The AFC North has been dominated by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ravens for as long as most fans can remember. Both have been consistent teams with cohesive strategy and have been models for the Bengals in many ways. With the Steelers aging (though not as fast as critics believe) and the Ravens dealing with injury, the Bengals may have a real shot to take hold of the divisional title.

Even with "Bountygate," the Saints look like the class of the NFC South. Brees is back with a ridiculous amount of talent around him. Darren Sproles gets a full offseason to be acclimated into the offense, and Mark Ingram is healthy.

The Panthers have Cam Newton and are building a talented defense of their own. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a young and talented team, but they just overhauled and spent a ton of money.

Can the Falcons sneak in this 2012 window and establish themselves as the best team in the division?

It's been a long road for both the Bengals and the Falcons, and this preseason matchup may be just a minor pit stop as each goes on to bigger and better things. Yet as these two took the field on Thursday night, fans got a glimpse of two teams that are going to be very good for years to come.

Follow @Schottey

Michael Schottey is the NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff alongside other great writers at "The Go Route."