The Cincinnati Bengals show that there are reasons to believe in 2018

All about the fourth quarter Thursday night shouted that the Bengals were going to blow it up. The Ravens recovered from a 28-7 deficit to make a 28-23 match at 9:35 of the fourth quarter, and the Bengals' offense slowed down.

We have seen this story before. Time and again, the Bengals have faded into the spotlight.

But Cincinnati then performed a 10, 65-yard run to set a field goal and forced a turnover on the Ravens' next possession to freeze him. With a smooth finish and a 34-23 win, the Bengals are now 2-0 and will be in sole possession of first place in the AFC North, no matter how the rest of the second week goes out.

The Bengals started quickly before. In 2015, the team earned a record of 8-0 in the first half, but the season has ended like everyone else since 1990, with no playoff win.

Is this team different? There are some early signs.

It's interesting to note that he does not usually get close to himself under the lights.

Thursday, Dalton had a career record of 5-13 in night games with a score of 79.3. Give him a Sunday slate, and Dalton is 59-31-1 with a score of 91.1.

So Dalton, with 265 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, is relatively surprising, especially when it comes to the Ravens.

If a team has Dalton's number, it's Baltimore. Before Thursday, he had completed 57% of his passes in 13 career games against the Ravens with 15 touchdowns and 17 steals. For the first time in his career, he now has more touchdowns than interceptions against Baltimore.

Dalton found A.J. Green for three touchdowns in the first 17 minutes of the game and then sent another touchdown to Tyler Boyd before half-time. While the Bengals had a slow second half, Dalton was able to take advantage of the pressure and ended the match forcefully.

Nobody will fully trust him until he finally leads the Bengals to the playoff win, but that's a good sign that he might not collapse again in the big moment.

The defense was good, but now she's making big games

Cincinnati has been in the first half of the NFL in points allowed in each of the past seven seasons, but has struggled to force the turnarounds recently. In 2017, the Bengals had 14 points to go, putting them in the lead of the category ahead of the Browns, who had 13.

In two games of the 2018 season, the Bengals have already imposed five turnovers.

Second – round rookie Jessie Bates met one of them Thursday when he intercepted Joe Flacco to put together the first Cincinnati touchdown of the night:

Another rookie – the third round pick Sam Hubbard – got a bag that was one of four for a Bengals pass that harassed Flacco all night. One of these bags forced a fumble in the fourth quarter to seal the match, and a pass from Carlos Dunlap earlier in the match provoked another Flacco interception.

The combination of Dunlap and Geno Atkins has been dangerous for years, but it looks like the duo is at its best. It may be because the Bengals can start Hubbard, and Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis, the second passers of the second year, are in the pack.

If the Bengals can continue to force turnovers, a good defense could be about to become excellent in Cincinnati.

But it's still early

I hear you. It's always the second week and you will believe in the Bengals when you see them win in January.

But you certainly thought that they were blowing in the end, right? Cincinnati Bungles has been written everywhere, especially after a broken interception and a questionable penalty that made it possible to hit the Ravens with 8 seconds to play in the first half.

Our resident Bengals fan said this after the Ravens reduced the Bengals' lead to five:

Without too much offensive work and the Ravens' defense, the Bengals have found a way to get points and put the game out of the way. It was impressive, and the type of victory that does not allow you to stop yourself wondering if Cincinnati is finally ready for anything more than a trip – and a defeat – in the Wild Card Round.