The Bengals Are 4-1? Believe It!

A team that believes in itself is a dangerous thing. In a league where every team is separated by only the slimmest of margins, a team that truly believes it can win can go a long way.

 

The Bengals have proved that all season and on Sunday, they took it the next level. Cincinnati went on the road, faced a division rival and beat one of the best teams in the league on a touchdown pass in the final minute.

 

It’s nothing new for these Cardiac Cats, who have come down to the wire in each of their five games this season. The Bengals have won four of them, and arguably should have won the other.

 

Talent is everything, but it means nothing without the true belief in your heart that can you overcame whatever obstacle that is thrown in your way.

 

"No talent, all heart!" tackle Andrew Whitworth yelled as he ran off the field.

Despite a 3-1 start, the Bengals have had their share obstacles, most of them self-inflicted. On Sunday, Cincinnati had another horrific performance by its kicking game, yet when push came to shove; it was the Bengals that were celebrating after the game.

 

The scary thing for opposing teams has to be the fact that Cincinnati has yet to play a truly good game. In every game this season, the Bengals have been lucky to survive. Critics will go as far as to point out that the team is as close to 0-5 as it is 5-0.

 

But that’s not the point. You don’t get style points in the NFL. If you’re chasing a berth in a BCS bowl, looking good means as much as being good. In the NFL, it’s “Just win, baby.”

 

Nobody epitomizes that better than Carson Palmer, who has been the architect of each of the Bengals’ late-game heroics. The forgotten man in a league that worships quarterbacks, Palmer missed virtually all of last season with an injury and as a result, has taken a back seat to the league’s crop of new stars.

 

But Palmer is still one of the game’s top gunslingers and he proved it Sunday. With the game on the line in front of a hostile crowd, Palmer methodically took the reins of his football team and drove them down the field. Even as time wore down, there was no panic in Palmer’s demeanor, only that California cool he possesses so well.

 

Sure the Bengals were helped by two huge penalties on the final drive, and Ravens apologists are sure to be out in force, especially considering the culprits were two of the media’s favorite darlings, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But Palmer also made every right decision on the drive and hit Andre Caldwell with an absolute bullet on the game winner, all while playing with a bad thumb on his left hand.

 

The key to Palmer’s success? Belief. Not only does the veteran QB belief in himself, but the rest of the team believes in him as well and teams are starting to find out how dangerous that combination can be.

 

If you want to beat Cincy, you’re going to have to put them down early. Like a horror movie villain, you had better make sure that they are dead before you turn your back on them. If you don’t, you had better believe that will come back.

 

Because they certainly do.