The Cincinnati Bengals Are Undefeated, but Far from Perfect Through Week 9

The Cincinnati Bengals may be undefeated with an 8-0 record, but they are not one of the best teams in the NFL this season.

Despite what appears to be a career season for quarterback Andy Dalton and another Pro Bowl year for A.J. Green, the Bengals have not shown that they can defeat top-tier opponents in the NFL. 

Dalton's 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions may look impressive on the surface, but under closer examination, he has only faced one defense, the Seattle Seahawks, who are ranked in the top five in pass defense in the league, according to ESPN. The other seven teams they've beaten all rank 17th or lower.

For a team that came into this season with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard in the backfield, expectations were high that this running back tandem would take the AFC by storm.

Instead, the Bengals rank 13th in the league in rushing yards per game and have a bit of a running back controversy as well.

In 2014, Hill scored nine touchdowns and gained 1,124 yards on 5.1 yards per carry. In 2015, Hill has taken a step back, averaging 3.3 yards per carry with 344 yards through eight games. Hill has also fumbled the ball twice this season, opening the door for Bernard to take over the starting job.

The eight teams the Bengals have beaten have a combined win-loss record of 24-39 this season, with half of those victories coming with an asterisk.

In Week 1, the Bengals took on the Oakland Raiders, who lost their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, in the second quarter due to a thumb injury. The Bengals went on to defeat the Raiders 33-13, who had to rely on the arm of Matt McGloin for the majority of the game.

When Week 6 came along, the Buffalo Bills had EJ Manuel under center as Tyrod Taylor spent time on the sideline nursing a knee injury. Manuel didn't play too badly against the Bengals, putting up 263 yards on 28-of-42 passing, but the Bills never stood a chance without Taylor, as Manuel just doesn't cut it as a starting-caliber quarterback, losing 34-21 to Cincinnati.

Playing a division rival in the form of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7, this matchup looked to be the true test of grit for the Bengals as Ben Roethlisberger was back from injury with Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant back in the fold.

However, things turned south quickly for the Steelers when Bell went down awkwardly on his right knee in the second quarter, tearing his MCL in the process. The Bengals then had no problem stifling the Steelers offense, holding them to 10 points in a 16-10 victory.

It's never easy for any team to play on a Sunday and then immediately begin preparations for a Thursday night game the following week, but the transition to Week 8 for the Bengals wasn’t as difficult, as they faced off against Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns.

Criticizing the Browns is like beating a dead horse at this point of the season, but that didn't stop the Bengals from making Manziel and his teammates look lost for the entire second half in a 31-10 drubbing.

To give credit where credit is due, the Bengals have done what they're supposed to do against inferior competition. Just one of four undefeated teams left in the NFL entering Week 9, the Bengals are being categorized as an elite team on paper.

But football games aren't played on paper—they're played on the gridiron. It almost seems too easy for the Bengals so far, and that's the problem.

The AFC North has historically been a very competitive division. This season, however, the tide has turned for the Steelers and the Ravens as they have lost their usual defensive prowess and have become vulnerable to opposing offenses. The Ravens are 2-6, good enough for third in the division behind the Steelers, who own a 5-4 record.

Even the Bengals defense hasn't lived up to its potential. Currently ranked 21st in the NFL in pass defense and 20th in run defense, Cincinnati is not a team that can rely on its defense come crunch time. 

Of Cincinnati's eight victories, just one win came against a team with a winning record, and that came against the Raiders in the first game of the season. 

In the final eight games for the Bengals, they will face off against three opponents with winning records: the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams and the Denver Broncos. These three games will either solidify the Bengals as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, or bring them back down to reality—dwelling in mediocrity.

But before they take on the Cardinals in Week 11, the Bengals will look to continue their winning ways next weekend against the Houston Texans, who are 3-5 entering Week 10 after a bye. The Bengals have done well thus far, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

We're only halfway through the season.