Peter King of Sports Illustrated hasn't always left a lasting positive aura with the Cincinnati Bengals during his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column. We suspose it has something do with being a beat writer for a local newspaper that developed a certain local cynisism during his stay. Or maybe it's because the Bengals have been so bad for so long that it's hard to develop anything but suspicion when the Bengals perform well. Regardless he's starting to show much more appreciation for a team that no one expected to win this year, listing them 10th during his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback.

10. Cincinnati (5-2). The Bengals are 3-1 on the road. Andy Dalton is 5-2 as an NFL quarterback. Those are two of the most surprising things about the first half of the season. Misleading stat of the week, by the way: The Bengals win at Seattle by 22 and get outgained by 159 yards.

Other Peter King blurbs during his Monday Morning Quarterback:

Andy Dalton has more wins (five) than Philip Rivers, Mike Vick, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman. Cam Newton has more passing yards (2,393) than Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.