The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday 33-20. During the first quarter, quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a thumb fracture on his throwing hand. He will miss next week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers but it is possible he might not be back the rest of the season. Dalton will see a hand specialist today to determine what the next step is. According to Yahoosports.com Andy Dalton said, “It’s unfortunate that it happened at this point in the season. I’ll do everything I can to get back as quick as I can to help this team.”
This could be a big loss for the Bengals. Andy Dalton has been the starting quarterback since the 2011 season. He has never missed a regular season game. This year he has impressive numbers with 3,250 yards passing, 25 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions, leading the Bengals to a 10-3 record. They are on top of the AFC North. With Dalton sidelined, they will have to go with backup quarterback AJ McCarron.
McCarron was a 5th round draft pick by Cincinnati in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played his college football at the University of Alabama. ESPN stated that McCarron said, “You have to embrace [the situation]. I love it. You have to love pressured moments”. McCarron finished the game for the Bengals. He was 22 out of 32 for 280 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. The rest of the season might hang in the balance based on the play of AJ McCarron. He doesn’t have much playing experience, appearing in three games this season. Sunday was the only time this year he had extended playing time. McCarron is not Andy Dalton. He will have to be a game manager and not try to force things down the field.
The Bengals are in excellent shape to go to the playoffs. They should still get in even if they lose their remaining games. Once they do, who knows how far they will go because of the inexperienced play of AJ McCarron.
What do you think of the Bengals chances with AJ McCarron?
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