Are the Bengals Good Enough to Unseat the Patriots Atop the AFC?

For most of the past decade, the AFC has been the stomping ground of the New England Patriots. As in, the Patriots were usually the team doing the stomping.

Sure, other teams have represented the conference in the Super Bowl. But the fact is, if you wanted to win the Lamar Hunt trophy as the champion of the AFC, odds are you were going to have to go through Beantown to do it.

In 2015, the biggest challengers to the Patriots' reign were expected to come from Denver. Indianapolis. Maybe Pittsburgh. But after dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs, 36-21, to improve to 4-0 on the season, the team with the best chance at unseating the Patriots in the AFC might just be from somewhere else entirely.

Cincinnati, of all places.

As the Bengals have all season long, the team came out of the gate red-hot, scoring touchdowns on its first two drives to take an early 14-3 lead it never relinquished.

It was a theme throughout the day. While Bengals running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard found the end zone four times, the Chiefs never did, settling for seven Cairo Santos field goals.

There was another theme playing out Sunday in the Queen City—one that has been playing out throughout the 2015 campaign:

Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton is playing really well right now.

On Sunday, Dalton completed 17 of 24 passes for 321 yards and a long touchdown pass to Brandon Tate.

It continues a four-game stretch that had ESPN's Mark Schlereth making some pretty lofty comparisons:

Now, given Dalton's history of struggles both in the playoffs and in prime time, comparing the Red Rifle to the Golden Boy may elicit a snicker from some. Uproarious laughter from others.

However, when you look at the numbers Dalton has posted to this point in the season, that laughter dries up in a hurry:

And as NFL Director of AFC Football Communications Jon Zimmer relayed, Dalton's play in 2015 places him in rarefied air in club history:

Dalton's play against the Chiefs also earned the praise of his head coach, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey:

At this point, fans of the Patriots and/or bashers of the Bengals are no doubt rolling their eyes. They will tell you that we've heard this all before. Not that long ago, in fact.

And that's true. Last year, the Bengals raced to a 3-0 start ahead of a Week 5 date with the Patriots in Foxborough. Dalton and the Bengals folded under the harsh lights of increased expectations in a night game, got shelled, 43-17, and were resoundingly returned to also-ran status.

However, ahead of next week's litmus test against the Seattle Seahawks, there are a few reasons to believe this year is going to be different.

That game came before Hill, who found the end zone three times against the Chiefs, emerged over the second half of last year. Granted, Hill's numbers are down relative to the explosion that saw him lead the NFL in rushing from Week 9 on last year, but in him and Bernard, the Bengals possess arguably the league's best one-two "thunder and lightning" backfield duo.

That game also came without wide receiver Marvin Jones, who missed the entire 2014 season due to a foot injury after scoring 10 touchdowns the prior season. Jones and ascending tight end Tyler Eifert have caught five of Dalton's nine touchdown passes, providing adequate complements to superstar wideout A.J. Green.

The Bengals entered the day ranked second in the NFL (behind the Patriots) in total offense, and Dalton told reporters after the game that he sees no reason why they can't continue piling up yardage and points.

"It's what we expect from this offense," Dalton said. "We've got everybody back, we're healthy. We've done a great job so far getting to 4-0."

That game last year also came without defensive end Michael Johnson and (for all intents and purposes) defensive tackle Geno Atkins. The former was in the midst of a disastrous season in Tampa. The latter was a shell of his Pro Bowl self as he recovered from an ACL tear.

The pair combined for seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against the Chiefs. And with end Carlos Dunlap and tackle Domata Peko (who added three more sacks against Kansas City between them), the Bengals have one of the NFL's best front fours.

Yes, the Cincinnati defense surrendered a big day to Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, due in large part to injuries in the secondary. But that defense stiffened when it needed to, keeping the Chiefs out of the end zone.

Mind you, this isn't to say that Bengals fans should start making travel plans for Santa Clara, California, just yet. There remains a huge, glaring number looming over the team.

0-10. That's the combined record of Dalton and head coach Marvin Lewis in the postseason. There have been four straight playoff trips. And four straight one-and-dones.

However, with a healthy supporting cast on offense, an offensive line that has allowed all of two sacks in four games and a formidable one-two punch at running back, this is easily the best offense Dalton has had at his disposal. The defense may not be elite, but it isn't chopped liver either.

In short, this is the most complete Bengals team of Dalton's tenure in Cincinnati. And the man who protects Dalton's blind side knows it.

"We started the season with a special intent, and that's to be great," left tackle Andrew Whitworth told reporters. "We're not satisfied with being good anymore."

There's still a lot of football to be played, but so far so...great?

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.