by Chris Asbrock

Folks, these aren’t your father’s Bungles. These are the Bengals and they are legit. Another game and another strong game from Andy Dalton. While Dalton may not be an elite quarterback, he will utilize his weapons and win you some games. From the opening kickoff, the Bengals drove down the field on the Seahawks elite defense and were already up a touchdown. From there, things got a little interesting and certainly frustrating. On the second drive, Dalton hooked up with A.J. Green for a long touchdown, but the play was called back due to a holding call. From there, the Bengals didn’t score until the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks defense was not to be denied in this game. They adjusted well and were able to put immense amounts of pressure on the Bengals offensive line. The Seahawks defense was able to shut down the Bengals running game and forced Dalton to beat them. Once the fourth quarter started, the Bengals seemed to settle down and made Seattle pay. Here are some takeaways from the Bengals massive overtime victory over Seattle.

1. Dalton does it again

Andy Dalton continues to be one of the biggest magnets for criticism in the city of Cincinnati. It doesn’t matter how many amazing throws he has during a game or how many touchdowns he tosses, one bad throw, and the ignorance of Bengals fans oozes out. For the fifth straight game, Dalton played extremely well. He tossed for 331 yards on 30 completions and two touchdowns. The lone mistake he made was on a red zone interception, with less than a minute remaining before the half. The interception cost the Bengals a chance at a minimum of three points and a chance to go into the half with the lead. That interception changed the momentum heading into the half and in the third quarter.

It was very audible that with every bad throw Dalton made or sack he took, there were calls for AJ McCarron. To those people I say, you are a moron. Dalton was under pressure all game as the Seahawks took away the running game and pinned their ears back going after him. Sometimes, taking a sack is better than forcing a throw or taking an intentional grounding penalty. Regardless, Dalton and the offense regrouped and he was an incredible 10-11 in the fourth quarter in leading the Bengals to victory.

2. The Bengals are certainly the real deal

This was a game the Bengals would have normally lost. When they were down 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter, previous Bengals teams would have just curled up in the corner and let it go. To start the game, the Bengals offense was rolling but when Seattle adjusted, the Bengals were dominated. This team never gave up. All phases turned it on when it was needed most and were crucial in this victory.

Another aspect to the Bengals success are the little things that they’re doing. The little things are what championship teams do when needed. Whether it’s hustling the kicking team out there to kick a game-tying field goal or a crucial sack at a crucial time. It is the little things that are being done and the battles the Bengals are winning. The Bengals beat a damn good Seahawks team who has that championship swagger.

The truly sad part about all of this is, Bengals fans are saying they won’t believe the hype until they can get it done in the playoffs. Come on folks, enjoy this ride. The playoffs don’t start this weekend. There are still 11 weeks left of the season. Enjoy these 11 weeks and enjoy watching this football team. This is a football team that we haven’t seen the likes of since the 1980’s. Enjoy it folks. The start of this season has been a blast and enjoy this team.

3. Brandon Tate is a liability on special teams

Brandon Tate continues to put this team in a bad spot with his kickoff returns. Against the Seahawks, Tate continued to take the kick back, from deep in his end zone, never making it to the 20-yard line. I understand not using Adam Jones back there early on, risking him getting injured but it is time to look at Mario Alford. The rookie out of West Virginia has world-class speed with return experience in college. Last year at WVU, Alford returned 26 kickoffs for a total of 743 yards. Two of those returns were taken to the house. Now is the time to make the move. The Bengals cannot afford to be starting every drive inside the 20, like they seem to do when Tate is returning the kicks.

The Bengals have a chance to really gain some more momentum heading into the bye week. They travel to take on Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills. This is a very winnable game for this hot Bengals team. If they can head into the bye week with a relatively healthy team and a 6-0 record, words cannot describe how key that will be for this team. Stay tuned as I will look ahead to the Bengals trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on TwitterÂ