Cincinnati Bengals' Offense Shows Us Just How Dangerous They Can Be

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the Cincinnati Bengals knew they had the potential to have one of the most high-powered offenses in all of football.

After Sunday's 45-10 victory against the Chicago Bears, the Bengals offense finally had the breakout game we've been waiting to see all season. They remain at the top of the AFC North standings with a 5-2 record and have already surpassed their win total from 2008.

To say the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Chicago Bears last Sunday would be an understatement.

Not only did the Bengals defeat the Bears at Paul Brown Stadium, they annihilated them.

In fact, this game was so ugly, one would think the Bengals starters were playing against the Bears' backups.

Sunday's game against the Bears displayed a high-powered Bengals' offense that we all knew were capable of putting up big numbers—we were just waiting to see it.

On paper, the Bengals arguably have one of the most talented offenses in all of football.

They have a strong leader at quarterback in Carson Palmer. The emergence of Cedric Benson has helped the Benglas' offense earn one of the top running games in the league. Not to mention they have a strong wide-receiving corps consisting of Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, and Chris Henry.

Even second-year wideout Andre Caldwell has hauled in two clutch receptions for game-winning touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

Despite four wins their first six games of the season, the Bengals offense has been good, but we all knew it was nowhere near its potential. Against the Bears, the offense showed us how much of a threat they can be for opposing defenses. 

Palmer threw just four incomplete passes to go along with his five touchdowns. Benson ran for a career high 189 yards and a touchdown against the same team that released him after the 2007 season.

Ochocinco hauled in 10 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns—recording over 100 yards for the second straight game for the first time in two years. Even Coles and Henry did their part by each hauling in a touchdown from Palmer.

If the Bengals' offense can continue to perform as well as they did against the Bears' defense for the remainder of the season, there is every reason to believe they can make a strong case as playoff contenders.

Lucky for them, they still have four remaining games against weaker teams in the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs—who have a combined 5-22 record.

At this rate, if the Bengals continue their recent success for the rest of the season, the city of Cincinnati may have another football team to cheer for, along with the Bearcats, once January rolls around.