The Cincinnati Bengals entered Week 14 with thoughts of clinching the AFC North and working to secure a first-round bye in the postseason, but a significant damper was put on the season when Andy Dalton left early with a thumb injury in a 33-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bengals lose Week 14 game to the Steelers, but more importantly, lose their QB too
An injury for Andy Dalton could take the Bengals from a top contender into a team that limps into the playoffs.
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Part of the reason the Bengals were able to jump out to a 10-2 start to the 2015 season was a remarkably injury-free season for the majority of the year. Entering Week 14, only three players were on the Cincinnati injured reserve. It’s too early to know if the injury suffered by Dalton will force the Bengals to add him to the list, but things don’t look good after he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game before returning to the field with a cast over his throwing hand.
It wasn't the only injury for the Bengals either. A concussion for tight end Tyler Eifert and a groin injury for safety George Iloka ended the day early for two more Cincinnati starters.
If Dalton isn’t able to go for an extended period of time, it will be AJ McCarron taking over the reins of one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses. But against the No. 22 defense in the NFL, McCarron couldn’t find the end zone often enough, although he didn’t waste much time throwing his first NFL touchdown.
After that touchdown, McCarron couldn’t lead the Bengals to another until only one minute was left in the game, settling for two field goals and gifting the Steelers two easy interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 23-7 lead early in the second half.
Can McCarron have better days ahead if he’s the player asked to take over for the remainder of the year? Sure, but Sunday didn’t build a convincing case that the 2014 fifth-round pick can lead a Super Bowl contender.
Still, the Bengals have an elite defense and did a relatively good job against a Steelers offense that eclipsed 30 points for a fifth straight game. Had they not been aided by a pick-six and great field position in the fourth quarter from McCarron’s second interception, that streak of 30-point games could have come to an end on Sunday against a Bengals defense that didn’t allow Ben Roethlisberger to throw a touchdown pass.
But that’s the biggest difference between Dalton and an inexperienced quarterback that the Bengals will likely have to contend with now. Dalton entered Week 14 with an NFL-best 107.4 passer rating, keeping things efficient and relatively mistake-free for the Cincinnati offense. McCarron’s mistakes proved costly.
Are the Bengals sunk? Probably not, but things are certainly more bleak than they were when the team arrived at Paul Brown Stadium this morning.
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