| Bengals QB Andy Dalton runs for a touchdown in Sunday's 28-6 win against Kansas City. He's thrown six touchdowns without an interception the last two weeks. (AP Images) |
Two weeks, two blowouts for the Bengals. They appear to be hitting their stride entering the final six weeks of the season only one game out of the wild card following a 28-6 win against Kansas City.
Offense: B+
Three drives of at least 11 plays for touchdowns and the triumphant return of the running game. BenJarvus Green-Ellis cracked 100 yards for his first time with the Bengals and Cedric Peerman ran six times for 43 yards not counting his 32-yard fake punt run. He could be the answer to the change-of-pace back lost when RB Bernard Scott tore his ACL. Andy Dalton went a second straight game without an interception and rating over 100. The only downside was converting just 4 of 14 on third down, but going 3 for 3 on fourth down made it more palatable. Previous game's grade: A
Defense: A
The Bengals held Kansas City without a touchdown. That marked the first time Cincinnati kept an opponent out of the end zone since Dec. 21, 2008 against Cleveland. Slowing down the 1-9 Chiefs' offense still deserves credit. The defensive line looked dominant for the second consecutive week with three sacks but pressuring the quarterbacks all game. It would be difficult to find another defensive tackle playing better than Geno Atkins right now. Previous game's grade: A
Special teams: B
Another successful fake punt as Marvin Lewis dialed up an 45-degree snap to Peerman to spark the first scoring drive and set a tone of urgency. Outside of the that play, a relatively solid, if uneventful day on special teams. Rookie Dre Kirkpatrick had a nice day, including downing a Kevin Huber punt inside the 5-yard line. Previous game's grade: A
Coaching: A
The Bengals couldn't afford a letdown and Lewis didn't allow it. They did what they had to against a struggling team like the Chiefs, they put them in a deep hole early then ran the ball till the clock hit zero. Cincinnati fans from the '90s are all too familiar with this philosophy. Previous game's grade: A
Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates on Twitter at @CBSBengals.