Comeback Win over Pittsburgh Signals Huge Difference for Andy Dalton, Bengals

This year's Cincinnati Bengals aren't the same old Bengals. 

While this statement had a completely different connotation prior to head coach Marvin Lewis' arrival, the team still wasn't viewed positively entering this season. Four straight opening-round playoff losses tend to do that to one's image. 

Everyone sat back, remained in wait-and-see mode and clung to that moment when the Bengals would inevitably shrink during a big game. So far, Cincinnati hasn't done so. 

After starting 7-0 for the first time in the franchise's history, the narrative starts to change. It all starts with the quarterback position. 

No player in the league entered this season under more scrutiny than Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. 

Prior to the season, Bengals fans booed their starting quarterback during a celebrity softball event. It didn't sit well with the 28-year-old signal-caller. 

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson told MMQB.com's Peter King it was the turning point for the young quarterback: 

"

I’m not going to tell you it didn’t bother him. It did. When you have the success he has had—four seasons in the league, four times in the playoffs—getting booed in your own city, that has to hurt a bit. But he was able to hit one over the fence for a home run. And he flipped the bat. His message was sort of, You might not like me now, but you’re going to love me later.

"

In baseball's unwritten rules, a bat flip is viewed as showing up an opponent. Dalton's version served as a precursor to his 2015 regular-season performance. 

The Bengals quarterback had every reason to be upset after being dogged by his team's fans. The TCU product came in as a second-round pick and started from Day 1. Not only did he start, he performed well for a veteran-laden squad. 

During his first four seasons, Dalton completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 14,758 yards, 99 touchdowns and 66 interceptions. The team's overall record during that period was 40-23 with a division title during the 2013 season. 

Dalton can legitimately claim he is the best quarterback to come out of the 2011 draft class which featured the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton. At the very least, he's in the conversation and among the top two alongside Newton. 

However, the Bengals came up short in the team's biggest games. Dalton's level of play during those games could be gently described as subpar. 

Year	Opponent	Comp. %	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Turnovers
2011	Texans	64.3	257	0	3
2012	Texans	46.7	127	0	1
2013	Chargers	56.9	334	1	2
2014	Colts	51.4	155	0	1

As such, everything Dalton accomplishes this season will be judged on what he does during the season's biggest moments. 

The former second-round pick has been up to the task every step of the way so far. He was even named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. In the NFL's second month, Dalton threw for 895 yards and six touchdowns in three games. 

But his biggest test came Sunday against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. In Dalton's previous eight meetings with the Steelers, his record stood at 2-6. Pittsburgh usually has the upper hand in this rivalry, but Sunday's outcome was completely different. 

Dalton rose to the occasion when he had every chance to fold. He overcame his poor start that included two Dalton-esque interceptions often seen during previous encounters. 

While trailing 10-6 with 5:34 remaining, the Bengals quarterback officially took over and became the deciding factor in an important division victory. 

Prior to the start of the drive, Dalton was 19-of-33 passing for 187 yards and a pair of interceptions. In previous seasons, the Texas native would have likely made another poor decision which would have cost his team. 

Instead, the Bengals quarterback put together an efficient drive by completing four of five passes for 44 yards and a late touchdown to his favorite target, A.J. Green.

Below is video of the game-deciding touchdown pass, courtesy of the NFL's Twitter feed:  

"That's why you play four quarters," the quarterback said after the game, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey.

The biggest difference in Dalton's play can be seen in the fourth quarter. The NFL's Gil Brandt provided a stunning statistic regard the quarterback's improved late-game play this season: 

Dalton's approach is clearly changed, and everyone has taken notice. 

"I see the same guy on and off the field," Dalton's wife, Jordan, told Harvey last week. "It's more of just his personality is beginning to show on the field with the players and coaches."

Jackson is certainly pleased with his quarterback this season, per King: 

"

We see a quarterback who is emerging, who has been through a lot. He did everything a quarterback needed to do in the off-season, both physically and mentally, and we have created an environment for him to be as successful as a quarterback can be. I hear what people have said about him. But I see what is on the other side. There are things about him that people do not see. They say he doesn’t have passion. They say he doesn’t have the work ethic. All totally untrue. He has the burning desire to be the best. I see it every day. I’ve really seen it this week.

"

As a result, Dalton is now firmly in the MVP conversation after the Bengals' hot start, and he's doing so without last year's top running back, Jeremy Hill, playing at the same level he did during his rookie campaign. Otherwise, the Bengals offense is one of the league's most difficult to stop. 

This is exactly why Sunday's 16-10 victory at Heinz Field was critical. It showed Cincinnati could enter hostile territory where it hasn't experienced much success, not play its best game and still leave with a win.

Any time a team's quarterback is playing at a high level, those around him are certainly helping. 

With his 118-yard performance Sunday, Green is now on pace to set a career highs in receptions and receiving yardage. The Georgia product is currently projected to make 105 receptions for 1,483 yards, which would top both of his previous marks set during the 2013 campaign. 

Tight end Tyler Eifert continues to amaze with his ability to dominate in the red zone. The former first-round pick is finally living up to his potential, and he makes the Bengals offense even more dangerous. The Notre Dame product is currently tied with the Cleveland Browns' Gary Barnidge for second among tight ends with six touchdown receptions. 

The Bengals offensive line doesn't get enough credit for being one of the league's best units. Entering Sunday's contest, no full-time starting quarterback was sacked less than Dalton. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth continues to play at an elite level even though he's criminally underrated among his peers. 

The defense also stepped up, too. And it's only going to get better. 

Consider this for a second: Cincinnati already sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times through seven games. The team finished dead last in the league last season with 20 sacks. 

Geno Atkins, in particular, finally looks the same player who was named First Team All-Pro after the 2012 season. It took nearly two years for Atkins to regain his form as one of the game's elite defensive tackles after tearing his ACL on Halloween in 2013. He's once again a force of nature in the middle and saved his best for last by registering a sack on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the final series of Sunday's game. 

The Bengals applied pressure on Big Ben throughout the contest and got to the quarterback on the final play, which forced the two-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller to throw an errant pass out of the end zone. 

Don Wright/Associated Press

Plus, the Bengals will benefit over the second half of the season by having Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict back in the lineup. The Arizona State product returned Sunday after missing the team's first six games as he recovered from offseason microfracture knee surgery. 

Cincinnati's coaching staff will continue to work him in slowly. Once Burfict is back to full strength, the Bengals will be even better. 

As excited as Bengals fans should be right now due to the play of their team, a 3.5-game lead in the AFC North all but locks up a playoff appearance. 

Sunday's contest became extremely important because Cincinnati finally put some old demons to rest by burying the Steelers well behind in the divisional race. The team's current winning streak could easily extend by a couple of games, too. 

With the Cleveland Browns on tap for Thursday Night Football and the Houston Texans following on the schedule, the Bengals could easily be 9-0 entering an important Nov. 22 meeting in the desert with the Arizona Cardinals.

During Sunday's victory, Cincinnati showed resiliency, toughness and determination against a foe that usually found ways to win in previous meetings. Instead, Dalton didn't back down in a crucial moment. The team's playmakers stepped up when needed and the defense came to play. 

The Bengals are in the midst of a special season, and this weekend's performance is merely a microcosm of an organization on the precipice of elite status. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.