Bengal Morning Takes: Complete victories

It was quite possibly the most complete win the Cincinnati Bengals have had this season, according to their head coach.
"It was a good effort in all three phases," Marvin Lewis said of the 33-7 win against the Titans. "Probably our best effort of the season."
That is saying a lot. After http://www.bengalsnflprostore.com/VINCENT-REY-JERSEY-CHEAP.html all, this is an undefeated team that has won each of its games in convincing fashion.
Sure, the Week 1 23-16 final against the Ravens might sound close and the two-touchdown win against the Falcons might not indicate a blowout, but the Bengals were clearly the better team in both games. But drives that stalled both weeks took points off the scoreboard, as did a series of missed field goals in the Atlanta game.
Sunday against the Titans, it all came together. The Bengals were better in the red zone, converting touchdowns in goal-line situations. The defense held firm on third down. The special teams contributed to sound field position, and scored points, too. That is considered a complete win.
"At the end of the day, if everyone on the offense, defense and special teams are doing their job, that's what you get -- team effort," defensive end Wallace Gilberry said.
The term "team victory" sounds cliche, but it fits for the Bengals, who return to action at New England in 13 days. As the lone undefeated team in the AFC, Cincinnati is entering its early bye as the unquestioned top-dog in the conference. The Patriots will be a good test to see just how poised they are to shake up the league this season.
One reason why it's easy to call these team wins is because each of the three have come without the services of multiple stars.
Receiver Marvin Jones has been out since the middle of the preseason when he broke his left foot during a practice. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict (concussion) was in and out of the rotation on defense the first two games and didn't play Sunday. Receiver A.J. Green played six snaps against Atlanta because of a toe injury. And tight end Tyler Eifert hasn't played since the first quarter of the opener with a dislocated elbow that won't be better for another seven weeks.
Without consistent work from each of these players, two of whom are Pro Bowlers, somehow the Bengals have managed to win.
That is where depth becomes important, as does the expectation that a team will receive quality play from backups. When Jones and Green were down last week, Mohamed Sanu stepped up at receiver. Even with Green back in Sunday's game, Sanu continued to fill in for the absent Jones, who should give the Bengals an added layer of offensive complexity when he returns in two weeks against the Patriots.
Defensively, Vincent Rey has http://www.bengalsnflprostore.com/WILL-CLARKE-JERSEY-CHEAP.html been the addition that has eased the loss of Burfict.
On special teams, Kevin Huber has had punts in the past two games land at the opponents' 1, 2 and 4, respectively. That field position has helped the defense, which in turn has given the offense the ball in advantageous spots.
The Bengals are as well-oiled a machine as there is in the NFL right now. With injured stars coming back to form in the next two weeks, they could soon be operating even better.