Eifert's playing great, Dalton has elevated his game, AJ Green is among the best WRs in the league, and their defense is stacked at all 3 levels.
That said, they were lucky to squeak by Baltimore and San Diego, had no business winning that Seattle game (at home), and were handed the game against Pitt on a couple of really dumb throws by Ben. They could easily have 3 or 4 losses right now, in which case, no one would be talking about them.
But good teams find a way to win, and Cincy has been resilient...they are a good team. I am very much looking forward to their game in Denver later in the year, but even with declining skills, I think Manning is more likely to find a way to win than Dalton is...