Week 2: Intriguing unbeatens emerge

[Arkansas Bengal]

Week 2: Intriguing unbeatens emerge Bengals display depth, toughness

Originally Published: September 14, 2014

By John Clayton | ESPN.com

 

After two weeks of action, there are compelling storylines surrounding the remaining unbeatens.

The Cincinnati Bengals are playing the best among the 2-0 teams. The Arizona Cardinals, who didn't have QB Carson Palmer Sunday but knocked off the New York Giants on the road, are a surprise. The same can be said for the Buffalo Bills, who have given their fans a memorable week, and the Houston Texans.

The Carolina Panthers are playing some of the league's best defense. The Denver Broncos, to no one's surprise, are also 2-0.

 

Here are five things we learned in Week 2.

1. Bengals take "Hard Knocks" battle: This was a telling meeting of the two most recent subjects of HBO's "Hard Knocks" series. While the 2014 Atlanta Falcons tried to show the cameras their efforts to be a tougher, meaner team, the Cincinnati Bengals, stars of the 2013 show, showed they're meaner, deeper and better in a 24-10 victory.

In the first half, some of the themes Falcons coach Mike Smith expressed during the series showed up. The Falcons' defensive and offensive lines were able to match up against Bengals' front lines that have been among the best in football the past couple of years. General manager Tom Dimitroff went out this offseason to get bigger defensive linemen and more physical offensive linemen. Until the final minutes of the first half, the Bengals and Falcons were tied 3-3. The plan was working.

What the Falcons are trying to build, the Bengals have already achieved over the past four years. They have big offensive linemen. They have big defensive linemen. Slowly but surely, the Bengals made the harder knocks from the end of the first half on.

"I told the guys on Monday that we had to win the football game up front -- both sides of the ball," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "After looking at these guys and what they are, we had to win the game up front."

They did. The Bengals took a 10-3 lead after a physical, 91-yard touchdown drive in which they had nine runs and one pass -- a 46-yard Andy Dalton short toss to halfback Giovani Bernard. The second half was a tribute to the Bengals' big defensive line and the team's overall depth. With a mix of blitzes and powerful inside rushes, the Bengals started to take away the pocket from Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, forcing either rushed throws or scrambles. Two three-and-outs and an interception pretty much put Ryan and the Falcons out of contention before the nine-minute mark of the third quarter.

How deep are the Bengals? They started the game without wide receiver Marvin Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert. In the first quarter, wide receiver A.J. Green went down with a toe injury and later guard Kevin Zeitler left with a calf injury. Backups stepped up and Cincinnati is 2-0.

 

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/lastcall1402/nfl-john-clayton-last-call-week-2