If Sunday was any indication of Jay Gruden's master plan, the Cincinnati Bengals faithful are in for a treat.
Gruden, the Bengals' offensive coordinator, dipped into his bag of tricks time and again in a 38-31 win over the Washington Redskins.
A frenetic tone was set on the game's opening play. Lining up in the Wildcat, rookie wide receiver Mohamed Sanu took the snap and unleashed a rope to A.J. Green, who got behind the safety for a 73-yard score. Sanu flashed the arm that made him a dangerous multi-threat weapon at Rutgers, heaving the ball 48 yards through the air.
The Bengals punched in another score late in the half when BenJarvus Green-Ellis took in the direct snap for a 1-yard touchdown burst, with quarterback Andy Dalton spread out wide. When Cincinnati wasn't confusing Washington's defense with said antics, Dalton was busy piecing together perhaps his finest day as a pro.
Dalton was efficient and repeatedly found holes in Washington's coverage. His passing numbers -- 328 yards and three touchdowns -- were impressive, but they don't tell the entire story. Dalton has a storehouse of young wideouts at his disposal, and we saw Sunday how versatile these pieces can be.
We still haven't seen them take down the divisional big boys from Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but this year's Bengals are just beginning to show us what they're all about.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
