The Cincinnati Bengals are 5-0 following Sunday's dramatic, Earth-aided, overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Bengals players, however, are downplaying the achievement.
"It does not mean nothing," Carlos Dunlap said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We've got to win our next football game. I don't care what our record is right now. We've got another opponent coming up and they're just as important. No matter where we are right now, if we don't finish, the start won't be remembered. We'll be remembered how we wouldn't finish."
There are six undefeated teams through Week 5. The Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers are all 5-0, with the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots 4-0. The most 5-0 teams in a single season in NFL history is five (2009), which we could surpass next week.
The Bengals became the first AFC North team to start 5-0 since realignment in 2002. The last time Cincinnati started 5-0 was 1988, their most recent trip to the Super Bowl.
"I was born in '87, so trying to get 6-0," defensive end Michael Johnson said dismissing the start. "Trying to get to 6-0 and we'll go from there."
Linebacker A.J. Hawk has been part of this sort of talk before, after spending nine-seasons with the perennial-winning Green Bay Packers.
"That's the thing, there's nothing really to talk about," Hawk said. "It's cliché. Yeah it sucks because you feel like you're giving a stock answer when you say 'we're on to the next one' but it's true. We're not having any parties for ourselves. We're not celebrating too much."
The Bengals have jumped out to a two-game lead in the division and are headed toward a fifth-straight playoff spot. They've won regular season games before. Until they win in the playoffs, no early season success will matter. Even if they've been fantastic in 2015.
