The past several seasons haven’t been easy on Cincinnati Bengals fans.

Don’t get me wrong, this team hasn’t been bad for a long time. Ever since drafting quarterback Andy Dalton in 2011, the Bengals haven’t missed the playoffs once. The 2013 campaign even saw the team take home the AFC North Division title, which is a big deal considering the recent dominance that the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburg Steelers had over the group. Nobody ever said this was a bad team.

At the same time, however, the Bengals haven’t been a great team either.

In the four years Dalton has been quarterback, the regular season has treated him well. Sporting a 40-23-1 record entering 2015, along with a career 86.7 passer rating, Dalton has always shown he can get Cincinnati to the postseason. The only problem is staying there, as the TCU product hasn’t won any of the four playoff games he’s appeared in. Dalton meanwhile turns into a whole different quarterback when that pressure is on, coughing up 10 turnovers compared to just one touchdown pass in those games.

With all of that said, it’s tough to expect much from this kind of a team. Sure, it’s always nice to earn a postseason spot, but it’s never as satisfying as legitimately contending for the Super Bowl. Quite frankly, Dalton hasn’t really come off as the guy that can get the Bengals to that level.

That is, until now.

For the first time since 2005, Cincinnati is 4-0 to start the season. Only five other teams can say they are undefeated right now, and three of those teams (Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots) are led by Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. That’s quite the company for Dalton to be among.

The fifth-year quarterback, in turn, is performing better than ever. Through the first four games, Dalton holds onto career-best numbers in yards (1,187), touchdowns (9), interceptions (1) and completion percentage (67.3%) to rank around the top of the league. Displaying high levels of confidence and leadership, Dalton gives the Bengals a tremendous chance of winning every time he steps on the field.

A big-time quarterback is only as big-time as the pieces around him, though.

Let’s face it, Dalton does have it pretty easy with the guys he’s targeting on the field. Everyone knows the talent behind Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green, and if you don’t, his 1,426 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2013 should be a useful gauge. Lining up next to him are speed-threats Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones, as both can blow past coverage and run the seam with sturdy catching ability. Finally, Tyler Eifert at tight-end gives Dalton a large catch radius in the red-zone, all rounding out to a pretty reliable receiving core for no. 14 to throw to.

As for the ground game, Cincinnati holds onto a deadly running back combination in Jeremy Hill and Geovani Bernard. These guys serve a large role in the offense in multiple ways, and are probably one of the most valuable faces on the team. Not only can both of these guys run for 1,000 yards in a season if given enough touches, but both can catch running out of the backfield. If the powerful running game doesn’t throw off the defense enough to open up the deep passing game, either one could catch a short pass and juke their way for extra yards. They’ve both done it many times.

All of this is great for Cincinnati, but what really makes this team a true contender is a replicated amount of success on the defensive side of the ball. This team has a formidable defensive line as the first layer of defense for running backs, as the group averages less than 80 rushing yards allowed per game through four games. For many teams, once the running game gets shut down, it can make the passing game very difficult to operate. This sort of disruption is what has kept opposing offenses under a 20 points per game average so far.

With the offensive attack the Bengals have, scoring more than 20 points should be no problem. I see Cincinnati winning its first playoff game under the helm of Dalton this season. This team is finally ready to break loose.