A look at the highs and lows of the first half of the season for the Cincinnati Bengals and what to expect in the second half:

Midseason MVP: Tyler Eifert deserves recognition for the way he has revolutionized the tight end position for the Bengals this season. He has nine touchdown receptions through eight games, putting him on pace to set the single-season franchise record for receiving touchdowns. Giovani Bernard, Andrew Whitworth and Geno Atkins have been solid contributors, too.

But regardless how well each of these players has performed, the Bengals' midseason MVP, without question, is Andy Dalton. The quarterback engineered three comeback drives in the first half, and at this stage of a season, he has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio (18-to-4) of his career.

Best moment: If we're making this the most memorable moment, we have to pay homage to backup safety Shawn Williams' interception with about six minutes left in the Week 8 victory over Pittsburgh. That pickoff, which came along the Bengals' euphoric sideline, gave Cincinnati life in a game it trailed 10-6 at that point. On the possession immediately following Williams' interception, Dalton threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green for the go-ahead score.

Worst moment: There haven't been many bad moments for the Bengals at this point, but they were part of two ugly ones. In the season opener, cameras caught cornerback Adam Jones ripping off the helmet of Raiders rookie receiver Amari Cooper during a post-play scuffle, and then slamming Cooper's unprotected head into the helmet. Jones was fined $35,000 by the NFL. In Week 9's Thursday night game against Cleveland, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was seen pushing a camera to the ground at the end of a play that caused him to go out of bounds. The camera operator was injured when the camera jolted back into his face; Burfict later apologized to him. As it pertained to game play, the Bengals' worst moment had to be Thomas Rawls' 69-yard touchdown run in the game against Seattle.

Mark your calendar: You will want Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 circled in red -- or orange -- on your calendars. The Bengals will meet the Cardinals and Steelers in games that could be the biggest in Cincinnati's remaining schedule. If they beat Houston in Week 11, the Bengals will take a 9-0 record to Arizona when they face Carson Palmer for only the second time since he was traded by Cincinnati in 2011. The game with the Steelers will be compelling because of the way the teams jawed through media after their physical Week 8 meeting that resulted in injuries to Le'Veon Bell and others.

Key to second half: Aside from simply maintaining their mojo and the chemistry that contributed to their strong first half of the season, the Bengals must remain healthy in the second half. Their lack of serious injuries played a major role in how well they began the campaign. By staying healthy, they can keep certain rotations alive. An injury-free final eight weeks isn't likely, but it would help them flirt with 16-0 or any other double-digit win magic.