Morning Bite (10/21): Bengals beat the Detroit Lions

Daugherty: Bengals won't win easily, but they're 5-2
Paul Daugherty writes: Memo to anyone wishing The Men would win a game easily: Dream on. The Bengals beat the Detroit Lions 27-24 Sunday, in a Marvin Lewis, keep shoveling classic.

Fifth Quarter: Bengals 27, Lions 24
Joe Reedy gives away his game balls and offers further review, five key numbers, Reedy's Read, a quote of note, Three Keys Revisited and Who-Dey Haiku.

Morning Stripes: Bengals grind out another
Just like last Monday, we have to welcome you once again this Monday to sole possession of first place, Cincinnati Bengals fans. How does it feel? Yo

Bengals' special teams proving worth
For the second consecutive week, the story of special teams sealed the game's fate in the final minutes on the road.

With Leon Hall out, where do Bengals turn?
When Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Terence Newman made it back to the sideline after the Lions' first-quarter touchdown Sunday, he was give

Bengals' third straight win a little more special
Not all wins are created equal. The Bengals leave Detroit rightfully feeling good about themselves.

Bengals stage another late show
The Bengals offseason blueprint has turned pink, the color for October after Sunday's third straight victory gave them a two-game lead in the AFC North 11 days before Halloween.

Hall injury causes shuffle in Cincinnati secondary
Leon Hall left the Bengals' win at Detroit with an Achilles injury Sunday

Defense saves best for last
After taking a shattering blow to the gut with what appears to be another season-ending torn Achilles for cornerback Leon Hall and then absorbing a bevy of body shots from the lethal Lions combo of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, the Bengals defense saved its best for the very last in the 27-24 victory at Ford Field.

Bengals-Lions Postgame Quotes
"It's a huge win up here today against a really good football team. It was a great football game."

Quick hits: Bengals find another way
"For the second straight week it took all three phases to win the game at the end and that says something about the entire team," Andrew Whitworth said.

With win over Detroit, grown-man Cincinnati Bengals are babies no more
The days of nicknaming Cincinnati's football team the Baby Bengals are officially done. Finished. Kaput. Finito. No more is this a fresh-

NFL Sunday’s 10 most attention-getting performances
In a duel between two of the NFL’s elite receivers, the Cincinnati Bengals wideout blew past the Lions secondary on his first catch of the day to score a career-long 82-yard touchdown. He’d add five more receptions to bring the total on the day to six for 155 yards in the Bengals’ 27-24 win over Detroit. Calvin Johnson was just as impressive, grabbing nine catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

2013 NFL Grades, Week 7: Pats penalty opens door for Jets
Massive game for Andy Dalton who finished 24 of 34 for 374 yards and three touchdowns. A.J. Green is a beast. Not the best day for the Bengals defense, but to go on the road and win a shootout like this is extremely impressive. Leon Hall's Achilles injury could be a major blow.

5 up, 5 down for Sunday
Dalton posted back-to-back 300-yard games for the second time in his career and seems to be back on track after a rough first five games of the season. If Dalton continues to play this way, the Bengals should pull away from the rest of the AFC North.

Quotes of Note: On Andy Dalton and a Grown-up Win
Also, the concept of this 27-24 win at Detroit being lauded as a grown-up win came out of the postgame. Many believed in the Bengals before they season because they saw a young team about to emerge. The players and coaches believe Sunday represented a major step in that direction.

Locker Room Buzz: Cincinnati Bengals
Observed in the locker room after the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions: Jokes on who? Like we wrote earlier this weeke

Rapid Reaction: Cincinnati Bengals
DETROIT -- A few thoughts on the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions: What it means: The Bengals' win showed what we discovered last