There are bold proclamations, and then there’s John-Harbaugh-calling-the-Cincinnati-Bengals-the-best-team-in-the-league bold.
According to ESPN’s Jamison Henley, when asked about the Bengals wide receivers, the Baltimore Ravens head coach’s answer took a little detour.
“I’ll tell you, I do believe it is the most talented team in the league,” he said.
Perhaps the comment was merely a motivational technique, since Baltimore currently sits 0-2 after a reasonable loss to the Denver Broncos but shocking shortcoming against the Oakland Raiders. If the Ravens fall to 0-3, they’d need a 9-4 finish at worst to even contend for a playoff spot.
But what if Harbaugh was serious?
Cincinnati certainly boasts a collection of skilled players. Jeremy Hill, Gio Bernard, A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert highlight an offense quarterbacked by Andy Dalton behind a stout offensive line, while Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins lead a slew of other above-average defenders.
On the surface, Harbaugh’s comments seem too shocking to be true. However, the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have the same caliber of defense as Cincinnati, and the Arizona Cardinals offense lags slightly behind the Bengals unit.
As strange as it sounds—from top to bottom across every position—Harbaugh might be correct that Cincinnati actually might have the most complete roster.
Execution, on the other hand, is a different story for the Bengals, and the Ravens certainly hope they can post a “1” in the win column against what is arguably the NFL’s most talented team.