Uh oh, you’re being sucked in. That’s all right, so am I. We know deep-down the Bengals are going to blow it at some point, but right now it’s damn fun being 3-2 after a lot of people predicted the Bengals would finish 3-13.

The latest win for “The Dalton Gang” came Sunday in Jacksonville when Cincinnati prevailed 30-20 in comeback fashion.

And now with the 0-5 Indianapolis Colts sans Peyton Manning coming to town this Sunday, there is a very good chance the Bengals will enter their bye week with a 4-2 record.

However, if history tells us anything about this team, it’s that we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. The Colts have been playing better of late and this won’t be a cakewalk by any means. Indy has a good defense and still has weapons offensively.

Still, it’s a game the Bengals should win and if they don’t it will be a big disappointment. But if they do prevail, there’s going to be a lot of Jim Mora clips playing because the word “playoffs” is going to start to be mentioned by Bengal fans.

And why not? Even in a year where expectations were extremely low, if you start 4-2 in the NFL, you have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but you have a horse in the race. I can’t even believe we’re talking about “playoffs” and “Bengals” in the same sentence five weeks into the season, which is a credit to how well this extremely-young team has played thus far.

The Bengals are 7-point favorites against the Colts, which seems a bit high. Then again, I’m always skeptical when the Bengals are favored, no matter by how many points. They seem to play their best when they’re the underdog.

Jones Calls It Quits

Dhani Jones officially retired after 11 seasons in the NFL on Tuesday. I tell you what: It’s shocking that the Bengals have the No. 1 total defense in the NFL despite losing the “seventh-best linebacker in the NFL.”

Rey Maualuga still has a ways to go, but he’s been an immediate upgrade over Jones at middle ‘backer. And Maualuga doesn’t dress like he’s Richard Simmons.

No matter what you think of Jones, you have to admit it’s hilarious that he actually called himself one of the top-10 linebackers in the NFL this summer … and then didn’t get picked up by a single NFL team. I guess the 32 general managers in the league didn’t quite agree with Jones’ assessment.

Bobbie Williams has returned from suspension which will give the Bengals' offensive line a lift heading into Sunday's game at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Williams, 35, is the elder statesmen of the team as a 12-year veteran. He was forced to sit out the first four games of this season after testing positive for a banned substance. In his absence, the Bengals used rookie Clint Boling and waiver-wire pickup Mike McGlynn at right guard, but all indications are that Williams will start against the Jags on Sunday.

Other than left guard -- where I'm still not sold on Nate Livings -- the Bengals have pieced together a very-solid offensive line. From left-to-right, the line features Andrew Whitworth, Livings, Kyle Cook, Williams and Andre Smith. Cincinnati ran the ball well even without Williams, so look for the team to go the smash-mouth route even more with their leader back in the fold.

As for running back Cedric Benson, he's appealing his three-game suspension and it looks like he'll be able to play again this Sunday while the NFL decides on the matter. Benson has 348 rushing yards (4.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown thus far this season. Benson's pending suspension stems from an offseason incident where he allegedly assaulted a former friend/roommate.

Hey, look who’s in second place, just one game out of first, one-fourth of the way through the NFL’s regular season.

Alright, that makes things sound much better than they actually are, but the bottom line is the Cincinnati Bengals and all their fans are very content with being 2-2 with such a young team in what was expected to be a rebuilding year.

The Bengals are winning with defense. They are, get this, No. 1 in the NFL in total defense at 275.5 yards-allowed per game. Directly behind them are Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas and Washington. Mike Zimmer can coach his ass off and the Bengals have some exciting talent on that side of the ball.

However, they’re also getting solid production out of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, second-year tight end Jermaine Gresham and veteran running back Cedric Benson. And the special teams combination of kicker Mike Nugent and punter Kevin Huber is as solid as they come in the NFL.

Cincinnati knocked the Buffalo Bills from the unbeaten ranks with a 23-20 victory on Sunday with a Nugent 43-yard field goal as time expired.

Other than a pick-six which really seemed to put the Bengals behind the 8-ball early, Dalton played very well. He finished 18-of-36 for 298 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also tied the game at 20 in the fourth quarter with a rushing TD on a quarterback draw.

And the good news is this week the Bengals will be facing a 1-3 Jacksonville Jaguars team that is breaking in a rookie quarterback as well in Blaine Gabbert.

Following that, the Bengals host the winless Indianapolis Colts who have gone from Peyton Manning to Curtis Painter as their quarterback. That would be like going from Brooklyn Decker to Rosie O’Donnell. (Although, we do hear Andy Roddick has a thing for frumpy lesbians.)

Therefore, there is a very good chance the Bengals will go into their bye week with a 4-2 record. It might not happen, but there’s a better-than-average chance. If I had to bet, I’d say they’ll split these next two games and head into the bye at 3-3, but hopefully they prove me wrong. Suddenly they would be legitimate playoff contenders if they could reach 4-2. I can’t believe I typed that sentence with a straight face.

And the real Cincinnati Bengals stood up and exposed themselves to the world last Sunday.

Everything was in place for a win, but the Bengals found a way to lose 13-8 to the San Francisco 49ers.

Let’s see, some of the major advantages Cincinnati had in this contest:

* A West Coast team coming to the Eastern Time zone to play a 1 p.m. local game.

* The Bengals playing in their home opener. (Albeit in front of some empty seats.)

* Cincinnati going on an impressive drive to open the game offensively, and the defense coming out looking like it would dominate as well.

* Playing against Alex Smith.

* Playing against a rookie NFL head coach.

* The 49ers seemingly giving the game away with a Frank Gore fumble deep in 49ers territory in the fourth quarter.

However, proving that they are much closer to pretender than contender this season, the Bengals fell apart down the stretch and saw the 49ers get out of town with a victory. Cincinnati twice settled for field goals after having a first-and-goal situation. It was also horrible on third down where it converted just 1-of-10.

Also, Brandon Tate likely has the lowest football IQ of any player in the history of the game. (And as Bengal fans, we know James Brooks was illiterate when he played. Nice education you get there at Auburn! War Eagle.) No wonder a good team like the Patriots wanted nothing to do with him. Tate’s latest blunder was fielding a punt (which likely would have been a touchback) at the 5 against the Niners. Tate is also well known for returning kickoffs from 9 yards deep in the end zone and then getting tackled by the first defender down the field around the 12. He’s bad. Typical Bengals pickup. They will always take sizzle over steak.

This week’s game against the visiting Buffalo Bills should be interesting. The Bills are flying high and are the darling story of the NFL after a 3-0 start, including their thrilling win over the Patriots last week. But they’re not as good as they’ve played and I bet the Bengals hang with them.

Vegas agrees. The Bengals are only 3-point dogs.

As for Andy Dalton, I’m not down on him at all. He’s a rookie quarterback and there are going to be struggles. Even the best-of-the-best struggle when forced to start as rookies. Right Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning?

Also, the Bengals got an absolute steal when Dalton fell in their lap in the second round. He was the fifth quarterback taken in the 2011 draft. FIFTH. Cam Newton was No. 1 overall. Alright, that makes sense.

Then Jake Locker went No. 8 overall to the Tennessee Titans. What? Exactly. Did the Titans not actually watch Locker play while he was in college at Washington? And they felt so good about the pick that they went out and signed Matt Hasselbeck to be their starter.

Then Blaine Gabbert went No. 10 overall to the Jaguars. That made sense. Gabbert was actually projected to go higher than that and the Jags needed to turn the page on the David Garrard era.

Then Christian Ponder went No. 12 overall to the Vikings. What? Exactly. And they felt so good about the pick they went out and signed the washed-up/fat Donovan McNabb … and still haven’t changed to Ponder despite McNabb continuing to prove he sucks. Ponder’s not even ready to go in there and hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson?

So, to get Dalton with the No. 35 overall pick of the draft was borderline amazing considering that general managers of other teams were popping their shoulders out of socket reaching for mediocre quarterbacks like Locker and Ponder.

Dalton will be fine. He’s the least of the Bengals’ problems.

Anthony Collins appears in the clear, but we might have seen the last of Jerome Simpson in stripes.

Well, Bengal stripes, that is. We might very well see him in prison gear.

ProFootballTalk.com posted an update on the "Simpson likes him some gonja" story and the most-interesting part of it is the silence coming from the Simpson camp. If Simpson were innocent, surely he would be outspoken about it, much like Collins has been.

So, stay tuned, but it sure looks like the glorious (not at all) Jerome Simpson era might be over in Cincinnati. That's what happens when you have enough pot at your house to satisfy Nate Newton, Snoop Dogg, and the entire cast and crew of a Cheech and Chong remake.

To say "this doesn't look good" would be the understatement of the century.

On Tuesday, 2.5 pounds of high-grade marijuana (the kids call it kind bud) was delivered to the home of Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson and offensive lineman Anthony Collins.

This story was broken by californiawatch.org. The Bengals had made no statement on the matter at the time of this posting.

Although he drops far too many passes, Simpson has emerged as a decent No. 2 receiver for the Bengals this season due to his supreme athletic ability. Collins -- the backup left tackle -- would be much-less of a loss. Both players are fourth-year pros who are in the final year of their contract. Simpson was a second-round pick out of Coastal Carolina and Collins was a fourth-rounder out of Kansas.

Did you think the Bengals were going to make the playoffs this season? Of course not. Therefore, don’t be pissed about the 24-22 loss at the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Sure the Broncos aren't a good team, but the Bengals aren't going anywhere this year. It's all about planning for the future and it’s suddenly looking bright. There were several encouraging signs in the Broncos game, including:

* We are seeing the beginning of the Andy Dalton/A.J. Green era and they look like they’re going to be an excellent tandem for years to come. I can’t say enough about how Dalton plays beyond his years. Nothing is too big for him. He’s never going to have the strongest arm in the league, but it’s plenty strong enough and he’s accurate. Dalton had his breakout NFL performance in just his second game. He was 27-of-41 for 332 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Impressive to say the least. … And Green is a monster in the making at 6-foot-4, 207 pounds. He exploded for 10 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. Also, unlike every top receiver the Bengals have had going back to Carl Pickens, Green is not a headcase. That’s refreshing.

* Jay Gruden is such an upgrade over Bob Bratkowski as offensive coordinator that it’s not even funny. I can’t believe more isn’t being said about this. (Hey, I guess I'm doing my small part.) And if Gruden is already this competent, you have to think he’ll only get better since he’s a rookie OC in the NFL who is still learning on the job to some extent. In that respect, he has a lot in common with his rookie standouts, Dalton and Green. It's exciting that they look good now because they are only going to develop and get considerably better with time.

* Mike Nugent has morphed back into the kicker that broke all the records while at Ohio State. He’s nailing his field goals and his kickoffs have been impressive as well. Nugent was coming off a torn ACL, so there were some questions in terms of how strongly he would come back right away, but he’s immediately eased those concerns.

* We’ve talked a lot about standout second-year defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins – and rightfully so – but third-year pro Michael Johnson also deserves his just due. He’s turned into a very-effective edge rusher, taking the spot previously manned by Antwan Odom. With Johnson and Dunlap on the outside – and Atkins and Domata Peko inside at tackle – the Bengals have a formidable defensive front. They also have a quality backup in Jonathan Fanene who can play end or tackle. And Pat Sims is no slouch either. … As for Johnson, he had a tremendous game against the Broncos with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He's always flashed the ability to be great and it seems as though he's coming of age.

* Thomas Howard continues to look like a good find at outside linebacker. He led the team with eight tackles against Denver and he’s proven to be an immediate upgrade over the former first-round bust known as Keith Rivers. (Who is out with a “non-football-related injury.”) Also, fellow outside ‘backer Manny Lawson has been a decent free agent pickup for the Bengals.

* I'm still not sold on Andre Smith, but man I'm getting close. The third-year right tackle continues to play well and if he can stay healthy he might not be the bust I thought he was. He blows up defenders at times and really brings a physical presense to the right side of the line. Also, it seems as though rookie right guard Clint Boling is holding the fort down pretty well while the team awaits Bobbie Williams' return from a four-game suspension. This offensive line is coming along pretty well, although Nate Livings is still average-at-best at left guard.

* On the downside, Brandon Tate looks like a complete trainwreck to me. I was wrong about that one. I thought it was a good pickup at the time, but a good team like the Patriots wouldn’t have released Tate (who wasn’t scheduled to make much money in New England this year) if he was a good player. When he’s not returning kickoffs from eight yards deep in his own end zone, Tate is dancing laterally on punt returns. Is it too late to bring Quan Cosby back? Sure, he wasn’t flashy, but he also didn’t suck.

“If you don’t expect too much from me, you might not be let down.”

That line from the 90’s pop band Gin Blossoms best describes the 2011 Cincinnati Bengals from my vantage point. Expectations couldn’t have been much lower entering Sunday’s season-opener against the Cleveland Browns. (Well, I suppose they could have been lower – I did pick the team to go 6-10 this season, not 0-16.)

However, the Bengals – underdogs by 6.5 points – went up to Cleveland and topped their in-state rival 27-17. Really, the Browns lost the game more than the Bengals won it, but we’ll take it. Considering how easy the schedule is this season – especially early – Cincinnati might surprise some folks this year.

Then again, it all goes back to the low expectations. The Bengals might be better than a lot of us thought this year, but they’re still a bad football team. Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s just the Browns are also bad, despite what many of their delusional fans wanted to believe. Browns fans were predicting playoffs this year, but they received a cold dose of reality on Sunday.

Anyway, as for the positives for the Bengals, there were several:

• Reggie Nelson is the best safety the team has had in years. It’s still unbelievable that the Bengals traded journeyman cornerback David Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for him last year. It’s not often Mike Brown and his staff do something intelligent, but they fleeced the Jags in that deal. Nelson is playing like a first-round pick, which is what he was in 2007 coming out of the University of Florida. He’s good in coverage, but most-especially does an excellent job in run support. I love everything about his game.

• Defensive end Carlos Dunlap is flat-out a game-changer. Despite missing the entire preseason with an injury, he was unblockable at times against the Browns. It’s going to be fun watching him all season as he tries to top the 9.5 sacks he recorded as a rookie last year. The Bengals certainly found a keeper in the second round of the 2010 draft.

• Defensive tackle Geno Atkins – taken in the fourth round of the ’10 draft – is impressive every time I see him. You don’t see many D-tackles that are good pass-rushers in the NFL, but the Bengals have one in Atkins. He’s extremely quick for a 300-pounder.

• Right tackle Andre Smith might be finally rounding into form. Wait, maybe I shouldn’t use “rounding” when describing the portly Smith, but you get the point. The 2009 first-round pick who many wrote off as a bust (myself included) played well against the Browns and it appears as though he will be at least a solid NFL player if he can avoid the injury bug for a change.

• Jermaine Gresham is proving he’s one of the best tight ends in the league. I was outspoken that the Bengals should have taken Dez Bryant last year, but everything worked out well. The Bengals got their tight end of the future and then found their big-time WR of the future this year in A.J. Green. By the way, thanks go out to Joe Haden and the entire Browns defense who fell asleep on the go-ahead 41-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski to Green. I’ve never seen anything like that in the NFL. You would think if any team would do something like that, it would be the Bengals. Damn glad it wasn’t.

• Andy Dalton looked sharp before leaving the game at the end of the first half due to a hand/wrist injury. It sounds like he will be back for this Sunday’s game at Denver. And that’s good news. While Gradkowski does have the ability to hit wide-open 6-foot-4 receivers when the entire opposing defense takes an in-game nap, he struggles in most other situations. Dalton is the QB of the future and he’s the best QB on the team right now. It’s good news that his injury does not appear to be serious.

• The Bengals have one hell of a kicking/punting tandem with Mike Nugent and Kevin Huber. The latter has been especially impressive since the start of training camp.

The Bengals made what I believe is a solid pickup off the waiver wire on Sunday, landing former Patriots wide receiver Brandon Tate.

Tate was New England's No. 3 WR last season and is also a talented kickoff returner, although that role has been greatly diminished due to the NFL moving the spot of kickoffs from the 30 to the 35 this year.

Cincinnati's starting wideouts have been set for a while with rookie A.J. Green and fourth-year pro Jerome Simpson. The top backups have also been pretty much etched in stone with Jordan Shipley and Andre Caldwell. However, the fifth WR going into the season was going to be rookie sixth-rounder Ryan Whalen out of Stanford, who might still make the team as the sixth WR if they keep that many. However, the Bengals didn't pick up Tate to sit him on the bench, so he will at least be the No. 5 WR to begin the season on Sept. 11 in Cleveland.

UPDATE: To make room for Tate, the Bengals released third-year pro Quan Cosby, who I thought was very solid as a punt returner. Now Shipley or perhaps Tate will take over as the punt returner.

Also, the Bengals announced they cut tight end Chase Coffman and Reggie Stephens. To take their place, the team claimed guard Mike McGlynn and TE Mickey Shuler

It sure seems as though the Cincinnati Bengals are on a “five-year plan” beginning this season … and for once that doesn’t sound like a bad idea from the front office.

The Bengals re-signed three key veteran players through the 2015 season this week, including center Kyle Cook, cornerback Leon Hall and left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

Cook signed for four years at $15 million, with $5 million guaranteed. Hall inked for four years at $39 million, with $14 million guaranteed (and a $5 million roster bonus for March, 2012).

Whitworth was already signed through 2013, so he merely signed a two-year extension, terms of which have not been released yet.

I like all of these moves. While the Bengals let the better corner get away when Johnathan Joseph signed with the Houston Texans, at least they didn’t wait around in getting Hall locked up. And I could end up being wrong about the Joseph vs. Hall debate. One thing Hall has going for him is he’s extremely durable, especially compared to Joseph (who missed the preseason with a pulled groin). Also, Hall, 26, is a bit younger than Joseph, 27 (although that is almost irrelevant with such a small gap).

As for Whitworth, he’s quietly developed into one of the best left tackles in the NFL. A second-round pick out of LSU in 2006, Whitworth was actually considered a guard or a right tackle when he entered the league. However, he quickly proved he could handle the most-glamorous position on the offensive line, if there is such a thing. Also, left tackles are usually the highest-paid offensive linemen and it’s good to see Whitworth being taken care of.

Cook literally came out of nowhere in 2009 to earn the Bengals’ starting center position and has never looked back. The undrafted free agent only played one year of center at Michigan State (although he was a three-year starter, including two at guard) so having a lengthy and successful career in the NFL probably even surprises him. The bottom line is the Bengals have finally found their center of the future; at least they believe they have. Cook, 28, has several good years left in him and has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises to pass through Cincinnati in recent memory.

With quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green beginning their rookie seasons, no one is expecting big things out of the Bengals this season. But Dalton and Green have looked solid and appear as though they will be a productive tandem for years to come. The Bengals are doing a nice job of building a foundation around them (I can’t believe I’m actually saying that) by locking up three of the important veterans on the team.

There are several other impressive young players on the team such as tight end Jermaine Gresham, defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and middle linebacker Rey Maualuga. So, in a couple years, the Bengals could have a formidable team.

This year? I’m predicting 6-10. The schedule is extremely easy or my prognostication would be much-worse than that. But this is the easiest schedule I can ever remember the Bengals playing. It’s never completely smooth-sailing when you have to play Pittsburgh and Baltimore twice, but suffice to say I’d love for the Bengals to have a schedule like this every year.

However, this is still a bad football team we’re talking about and anything more than six wins will be shocking.