Andy Dalton's Newfound Poise Puts Bengals Squarely in AFC North Contention

At first glance, everything seems normal surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals after the team's 28-24 road win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

Beneath the surface, Andy Dalton's poise sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Last year, the Bengals started 3-0, too. They trounced a bad team (Tennessee), took down a would-be contender with a borderline elite quarterback (Atlanta) and even went to Baltimore and stole a win, albeit on an attempt to A.J. Green in the waning moments—Dalton's only score of the game.

In fact, it was one of two touchdown passes by Dalton in the three-game start.

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Fast-forward to this year, to the win over a bad team (Oakland), the would-be contender with a borderline elite quarterback (San Diego) and the win in Baltimore, and the numbers tell quite the different story:

	CMP	ATT	YDS	TD	INT
Andy Dalton	61	92	866	8	1

The difference shows on film, too.

On Sunday in Baltimore, Dalton had his occasional overthrows as if he's on a per-game quota at this point. He also threw a costly interception in the third quarter.

But in a loud stadium against a divisional foe, and with his formerly spotless offensive line allowing two sacks, Dalton threw for three scores and should have had a fourth if not for Tyler Eifert's scoring play being viewed as an incompletion.

One of the scoring passes came with six minutes and 37 seconds left in regulation after Baltimore took the lead. Rather than come out conservatively, Dalton came out gunning and hooked up with A.J. Green on an 80-yard connection:

Granted, Green did much of the work post-catch, but Dalton's throw was a dart right on the money under pressure.

Ditto for his second strike to Green, this time with 2:10 left in the game after yet another Baltimore score:

For once, it was the offense carrying the defense.

To make the last scoring toss all the more impressive, Dalton revealed after the game that he altered the game-winning play at the line of scrimmage and credited the coaching staff for trusting him do to so, per ESPN's Coley Harvey.

"Asked about the way he changed the play at the line prior to A.J. Green's game-winning TD, Bengals QB Andy Dalton says, '[offensive coordinator] Hue [Jackson] trusts me.' Dalton added he saw a better matchup prior to the changes."

Did anybody mention that Dalton put his body on the line with a rushing touchdown early on to make up for a ground game that only mustered 86 yards?

In short, Dalton looks like a different player. He's making the right decision the majority of the time, his deep passes look mostly sharp and throws he would have missed in past years continue to find their way into the hands of receivers.

Speaking of deep passes, Dalton doesn't have a reputation as a guy with great touch when looking long. Sunday's game was an exception, it seems, as ESPN Stats & Info provided his stellar numbers:

Of course, some of the credit goes to those around Dalton for simply being healthy.

Marvin Jones has quietly put together two superb outings in a row after missing all of 2014, scoring two touchdowns in his last two games. Eifert looks like one of the game's top tight ends and demands attention over the middle after basically missing all of 2014.

For now, at least, the offensive line is 100 percent healthy, too.

None of this should take away from Dalton's performance, though. He's improved but also fully showing what he can do when everyone can make it into the lineup.

Gail Burton/Associated Press

To paint in broad terms, things look great. The Bengals continued their dominance over Baltimore on Sunday, while the rest of the AFC North struggled.

The Cleveland Browns fell to 1-2 and have a quarterback controversy, and the Pittsburgh Steelers limped to a 2-1 record but lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to an injury that may keep him out for a month or longer, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In the past, going on the road and getting a poor outing from a pair of talented running backs while the defense struggled might have spelled doom for the Bengals.

But Dalton never faltered—there weren't any cascading mistakes after the interception or fumble. There were just accurate strikes after proper adjustments and decisions.

Maybe the Cincinnati organization was on to something when it gave Dalton his controversial extension. Right now, the team goes as he goes, poised no matter the occurrence. It's early in the season, sure, but other than the team's miraculous ability to avoid the injury bug, his performance to this point is the notable change surrounding the Bengals.

If Dalton can keep this confidence, the infectious kind that helps the team survive a rough game like Sunday in Baltimore, these Bengals are going places—both in the AFC North and beyond.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of September 27. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.