What Cincinnati Bengals Must Improve Most Coming out of Week 4 Bye

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the NFL's lone undefeated teams heading into a Week 4 bye.

Believe it or not, there is still plenty of room for improvement, and coach Marvin Lewis and his staff would concur with that notion.

On a basic level, Cincinnati looks like it should be in the conversation as the best team in the league. Week 1 the team hit the road and took care of Baltimore, 23-16. It then returned home and mopped up a playoff hopeful in Atlanta, 24-10, before getting some help from the self-harming Tennessee Titans en route to a 33-7 finish.

Arguably the biggest thing Cincinnati must do with an extra week of time is get healthy. Wideout Marvin Jones may be back soon. A.J. Green has been visibly hobbled. Vontaze Burfict has been concussed twice. Tight end Tyler Eifert is missing in action. Guard Kevin Zeitler missed the Week 3 contest. It goes on, but the point stands. 

Still, there are problematic areas in which the team can improve. It may not seem like it now, but complacency breeds failure and rest assured that the rest of the league is religiously studying film to exploit those issues.

One could also argue that, so early in the season, we are greatly exaggerating the quality of the teams the Bengals have defeated, making weakness cleanup all the more important with a tougher schedule inbound.

Within, let's take a look at a few issues the team needs to clean up. It is hard to complain about the results so far, but better to address the issues now than to let them further deteriorate.

Run Defense

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For an undefeated team that has shown few weaknesses so far, it is strange that the Cincinnati Bengals have shown issues in an area it normally excels.

That area being run defense.

Now, the team has had linebacker Vontaze Burfict on and off the field in each game so far. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins is also working his way back to full strength after tearing knee ligaments last season.

But in Week 1 against Baltimore, Cincinnati allowed unheralded backup Justin Forsett to rush for 70 yards and a score on 11 carries, good for a 6.4 yard-per-carry average.

Believe it or not, Week 2 against Atlanta was not much better. As a whole, the Falcons rushed for 97 yards on 19 totes, a 5.1-yard average (although it should be noted those numbers are bumped a tad due to three scrambles from Matt Ryan).

Week 3 was the worst though, as the Tennessee Titans rushed for 149 total yards on a 5.3-yard average. Allowing Jake Locker to gain 50 yards from under center is acceptable given his superb athleticsim, but allowing rookie back Bishop Sankey to take 10 carries for 61 yards is not.

Now, this is very much taking the numbers at face value. With the way the Bengals are blowing out teams, it should come as no surprise that the occasional draw is going for big yardage while Cincinnati looks for the pass.

Still, it is one area that could use some improvement. Expecting the run or not, this is an area Cincinnati usually has few issues with, and better teams can and will exploit it.

Third Down

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Through three games, the Cincinnati Bengals have had a depleted roster on the offensive side of things.

Still, coordinator Hue Jackson has done a great job of getting creative with the assets available to him and Andy Dalton has looked great in the pocket, having yet to be sacked.

Now imagine how great the team could be if it could convert third downs more consistently. In Week 1 on the road in Baltimore, Dalton and Co. moved the chains just four times on 14 opportunities. The visit from Atlanta saw a better result with a 6-of-14 mark, but then things regressed against Tennessee yet again thanks to a 3-of-9 effort.

This is another thing that should improve as the team gets healthier. Bigger targets such as Tyler Eifert and another weapon in Marvin Jones will make things easier. It is still strange to see a lack of involvement for someone such as Jermaine Gresham in the interim, though.

The schedule the rest of the way says this could be a major issue. Dates against New England, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Denver are a part of the plan, and those offenses will not ease off the gas because the Bengals are struggling to keep drives alive.

With any luck, health is the cure.

Penalties

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It sounds so simple, right?

No team can be perfect. Cincinnati continues to win the turnover battle, but one of the storylines from last season continues to arise—the young team continues to shoot itself in the foot.

Four penalties took 45 yards from the team in Baltimore. Seven more flags stole 55 yards against Atlanta. That same number stole 50 more against Tennessee.

It is a rather small complaint, but one the staff is sure to harp on early and often over the course of the team's bye week. Whether it is the offense not being on the same page, defenders not playing by the rules or players downright losing their cool, better teams can and will be able to take advantage of such mistakes.

Every team commits penalties. But this one ties into the third-down issues at some intervals, too, if not extending drives for the opposition. It is an area the team has seemingly struggled with for the past few seasons, and one that needs to finally improve in order to stay near the top of the league.

Secondary Play from Key Pieces

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As most would have expected, corners Leon Hall and Terence Newman continue to impress despite their age. Likewise, safety Reggie Nelson continues to play at a high level, and the team has even received a major boost thanks to the improved George Iloka.

There are problems, though.

Adam Jones has had his nice plays, but overall it has been a season to forget at this point. Over at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranks as the No. 75 overall corner in the NFL.

Former first-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick has been an issue, too. When he has seen time so far this year, he has done nothing short of struggle. Against Tennessee, he played all of 14 snaps in garbage time, got flagged twice and gave up the only touchdown on the day.

At an area that seems to annually get hit with a number of injuries and with the main starters continuing to age, it would be nice to see an uptick in positive plays from some of the key areas, whether it be starters or depth.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).