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When they secured their fourth win of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals became just one of six remaining unbeaten teams. At this time last year, the team went head-first into a New England buzzsaw on the national stage, but the script was different this time around against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Let's run down an extensive list of MVP nominees for the Bengals in their 36-21 win over the Chiefs. Cast your vote and sound off on your selection!
Andy Dalton, QB: The fifth-year quarterback is off to the best start of his career and is in the midst of his best stretch of games since November of 2012. Though he didn't sling a bunch of touchdowns on Sunday, he was pinpoint accurate, missing just seven passes the entire day. Dalton executed his second consecutive 300-yard passing day and was a major reason the team came up victorious.
Jeremy Hill, RB: After back-to-back disappointing outings against the Chargers and Ravens, Hill ran with a purpose on Sunday against Kansas City. He amassed just 40 rushing yards, but eclipsed four yards per carry and had three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon--the first of such a day from a Bengals running back since Kenny Watson did it in 2007.
Giovani Bernard, RB: One could argue that 2015 is the best that No. 25 has looked as a Bengal, even while still manning a supplemental role. Bernard had 13 carries for 69 yards and a rushing touchdown. He and Hill were forces on the afternoon and Bernard's blocking was an unnoticed, but valuable portion of the game.
A.J. Green, WR: The Pro Bowl wide receiver was unstoppable throughout the first half. He did most of his damage in those first two quarters, finishing with seven catches for 82 yards. His 417 yards on the year rank him fourth in the NFL.
Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith: We always throw out this disclaimer when putting more than one player as a single nominee in these posts, but both guys blanked Justin Houston and Tamba Hali from the sack column and paved big lanes for the running backs. Smith was particularly effective on Bernard's touchdown run knocking over Kansas City defenders.
Domata Peko, DT: Talk about a guy who has been rejuvenated from the restocking of the defensive line. Peko is putting together one of the best starts of his career. He had two tackles on Sunday, and both were quarterback sacks. He's not an effective every-down player at this point in his career, but is playing well amidst the rotation the team employs up front.
Michael Johnson, DE: It was a great game by the centerpiece of the Bengals' 2015 Reunion Tour. Big No. 90 had a sack, forced fumble and a couple of extra hits on Alex Smith to go along with his four total tackles. He isn't a big stat sheet guy, but Johnson is critical to what Cincinnati does up front, as evidenced by the play of the group in 2015 in comparison to last year.