Cincinnati linebacker Barrett Carter believes the 2026 Bengals are enjoying a successful season due to improved team leadership.

Sunday saw the Bengals move to 6-2 on the year after they beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Madrid at the Bernabéu. Quarterback Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase were unstoppable against the Falcons, with the former finishing the contest 24-of-29 passing, throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns, while Chase finished the game with 10 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown.

While Burrow and Chase stole the show in Spain, Carter also produced his own moment of magic at one of soccer's most iconic stadiums. Late in the fourth quarter, the Bengals linebacker picked off Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to effectively seal the game for Cincinnati.

The second-year pro also recorded a forced fumble on Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

The 2026 Bengals look remarkably different to their 2025 counterpart. Through eight games last season, the Bengals were 3-5, with their season derailed by an injury to Burrow in Week 2.

Cincinnati finished the year 6-11, a disappointing campaign for a team that boasts one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in football and a devastating receiver tandem in Chase and Tee Higgins.

Fast forward to this season, and the Bengals are one of the NFL's hottest teams. Come Sunday, they will have the chance to take the lead atop the AFC North standings if they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2).

In Carter's eyes, the improvement in the Bengals' fortunes this season can be traced back to a summer of self-scouting and reflection, and he admits he believes team leadership across the board has improved.

"I'll say our leadership has improved. I think the guys going into the offseason, we did a lot of self-scout, a lot of looking in the mirror on where we need to be better individually and as a team, and I feel like the leadership as a whole on all sides of the ball just needed to be better.

"I felt we've really taken that challenge head on, face on."

Carter continued, "There's still a lot of improvements that we need to make, but I think leadership was the main thing and everyone just staying poised. When the going gets rough and people on other side start making plays, who is going to step up and make that next play for us, and who is going to calm the team down and make sure we stay steady, stay grounded?

"I feel like the leadership was the main thing."