Things have been looking up for the Cincinnati Bengals. And Ja’Marr Chase is making plays. Plus, the defense looks solid, with Dexter Lawrence destroying any notion that he wasn’t worth the No. 10 pick in the trade with the Giants.

The rating is there early, according to a post on X by Chatterbox Sports.

“Through two weeks, Dexter Lawrence is PFF's highest-graded interior defensive lineman. So, Bengals fans, was he worth the 10th overall pick?”

The Bengals improved to 2-0 with Sunday’s impressive 20-6 win over the Texans on the road.

Bengals DE Dexter Lawrence playing well

The Bengals defense, combined with the usual good defense, has fans getting excited about the start to the 2026 season, according to bengals.com. Quarterback Joe Burrow is feeling it, too.

“It feels like early on in 2021,” said quarterback Joe Burrow. “We've got a really good defense, and try to stay in front of the sticks, not turn the ball over, kick field goals, put points on the board. We're going to win with our defense.”

And Lawrence has been a big part of that defensive performance through two games. Chase has taken notice.

“I don't know what the hell is going on. I'm just cheering for the defense,” said Chase. “I've been saying it since camp. Our defense is really, really good. And they're showing it every week now. They set the tone in week one. (And) they set the tone every week. They capitalize every week. They're showing they're one of the best defenses in the league.”

Lawrence said the team is together.

“Just the care we have for each other,” Lawrence said. “We encourage each other a lot. We've got a lot of leaders on the defense. We talk all game about situations when we are in the game. It's hard to beat that when your mind is there all game.

“The last game, (the Texans) ran it 30-something times. We wanted to out-physical them and play hard in the run game.”