Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Keys to the Bengals Getting Back on Track

Okay, so the Cincinnati Bengals dropped their first game since September 25 in Week 10 against the Steelers.  Now that the Jungle has accepted that fact, moving on is key.

It's no secret that the Bengals are the shockers of the league, at least on the AFC side of the ball.  The third-youngest team in the NFL has come out firing over their first nine games.  Unfortunately, the team has been criticized for having a super-soft schedule.

That may be true, but they played very well against the Steelers.  The defending AFC champs were scared and knew that this team was for real.  Still, they came out victorious.

It doesn't get easier for the Bengals going forward, as Baltimore is coming up in Week 11, followed up by another game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh and games against Cleveland and Houston.  Cincinnati will need to be on their "A" game, and these are the keys to ensuring that.

Adam Jones Must Step Up

Originally, I wanted Pacman Jones to come back as a special teams guy—now, his services on defense are vital to the tough Bengals defense.

Cincinnati has been rock solid on defense this season, but have now lost cornerback Leon Hall for the season after he ruptured his Achilles tendon this past week.  This leaves a gaping hole in the Bengals secondary.

Kelly Jennings stepped in for Hall, but he was simply overmatched against Mike Wallace.  He doesn't have the speed to fill in for a premier defensive back like Leon Hall.

However, Jones does.  He's been marred by injuries over the last couple seasons, but with his one punt return in 2011, Jones has proven he's still got plenty of speed and agility to be a pro athlete.  If Jones can make it back from his hamstring injury, he's going to be the guy to cover Anquan Boldin and Andre Johnson over the next few weeks.

The Offense Will Have To Improve...More

Being that the Bengals are one of the league's youngest teams, this offense has had its issues.  Granted, they have had plenty of bright spots as well.

Andy Dalton has been a great leader, but there are still a lot of issues being shown on the offensive side of the ball.  First and foremost, receivers besides A.J. Green need to step up (more on Green later).

Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell are the second and third receivers, and they both have a tendency to drop a lot of passes.  Between the two of them against Pittsburgh, they dropped at least a handful of Dalton's passes. This cannot be a constant occurrence.

Also, Cedric Benson needs to get back to 2009 and 2010 form.  He's not been all that great, despite a few bursts every other game.

Andy Dalton and A.J. Green cannot be the only reliable players on offense.

Silly Penalties Need To Stop

This team has had a lot of penalties in key moments that stopped their momentum.

A lot of them come on holding penalties on the offensive side of the football.  In the most recent game against the Steelers, left tackle Andrew Whitworth committed two key holding penalties on plays that would have resulted in first downs.

While Cincinnati is not the most penalized team in the NFL, they have a tendency to commit the penalties at the worst times.  Defensive holding on third downs, offensive holding on good plays, neutral-zone infractions—it has to stop.

They won't win much more it they can't stop halting their own momentum.

Blitz Hard...Except Against Houston

I am a huge believer in pressuring the quarterback every single play.  I'm not saying bring the house all the time, but definitely keep the quarterback panicking.

Cincinnati did this very well against Ben Roethlisberger—he seemingly spent much of the day on the ground.  Still, over the next few weeks, the Bengals will be meeting teams who will fall if their passing game is stopped.

Baltimore has lost three games, all of which were Flacco's worst ones of the year.  Cleveland has no backfield for the most part at the moment, so attacking Colt McCoy will stop them.  The only exception is the Houston Texans, given the recent injury to Matt Schaub.

During that game, I suggest the defense charge at the backfield player.  That's all the Texans have now.

The ending point here is that Rey Maualuga and Company need to be fighting their way to the quarterback on just about every play.  Keeping the quarterback down often shuts down the offense.

A.J. Green and Carlos Dunlap MUST Come Back

Saying that A.J. Green needs to return should be pretty self-explanatory.  The connection that he's formed with fellow rookie Andy Dalton is becoming a historic one. 

Green has shown to be the best young newcomer in the league right now.  He will be a star by 2013, and is already a key component to the Bengals offense.

As for Carlos Dunlap, his presence on the defensive line is vital.  While Robert Geathers filled in nicely for Dunlap against Pittsburgh, he won't be a long-term fix.  Dunlap is a dominant defensive end.

He collected 9.5 sacks as a rookie in 2010, and constantly applies pressure to opposing quarterbacks.  He had a magnificent game against Tennessee in Week 9 before going down with injury.

Dunlap and Green are both questionable for Week 11 in Baltimore, but both MUST be on the field.  The team is simply incomplete without these two.