Michael Johnson knows a thing or two about the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

Johnson, now 30 years old and playing in his eighth season with the franchise, has seen his share of quality units since 2009.

In hindsight, the 2012 group might be the best Johnson has seen from the Bengals — until now.

“This reminds me of the 2012 team, defensively,” Johnson said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “But now, like Paulie was saying, we have even more weapons and we have even more depth. So that’s good. Keep everybody fresh and just everybody just taking ownership, just doing their best regardless of its 10 plays or 50. Just keeping that mindset.”

High praise, to say the least. Bengals fans know the drill with the 2012 unit. Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks) and Carlos Dunlap (six) sent a message to the rest of the league by announcing their arrivals as an elite tandem with guys like Johnson (11.5) pitching in to help tally 51 sacks for a unit that ended up allowing an average of 20 points per game.

The 2012 defense didn’t just propel the Bengals to the playoffs while eliminating the Pittsburgh Steelers — it carried an offense featuring 27 touchdowns and 16 interceptions from Andy Dalton while BenJarvus Green-Ellis served as the workhorse back.

Now? The defense has done the heavy lifting again through the bye week, allowing 16.6 points per game with 18 sacks.

Where to even start? The breakout players from the 2012 squad are still the foundation. Carl Lawson is a breakout steal. Jordan Willis and Ryan Glasgow are contributing while Johnson revives his career on the inside. Nick Vigil is a surprise next to Vontaze Burfict. William Jackson and Darqueze Dennard have had bright spots while starting to push aside Adam Jones and others.

Back in 2012, the Bengals started 3-1 before dropping four in a row to hit 3-5. This year seems more dramatic given the 0-3 start, but with the AFC North a mess and Johnson seeing the parallels, the defense might have enough juice from an infusion of youth to carry the team on its back.