The Cincinnati Bengals have officially ruled out quarterback Andy Dalton against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL playoffs, according to Bengals reporter Geoff Hobson. This will be the fourth straight game Dalton has been ruled out with, as he fractured his thumb against the Steelers on Dec. 13.
Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron will make his fourth straight start and has a record of 2-1 since taking over for Dalton. McCarron has passed for 854 yards this season with six touchdowns to two interceptions. The second-year quarterback struggled against the Steelers in relief back in December and threw two touchdowns to two interceptions. Head coach Marvin Lewis has likely spoken with his quarterback about the importance of ball security going into wild card weekend.
The Bengals won't be the only team missing a key player from this anticipated wild card matchup, as Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams reportedly won't play with a foot injury. The Bengals and Steelers split their divisional rivalry this season, and expect both teams to come out fired up as this looks to be a physical matchup.
The Bengals will clearly miss Dalton this weekend, as he was arguably having the best season of his young career with 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions. The Bengals will look to rely on their run game and defense on Saturday, as Lewis will try to alleviate pressure on his backup quarterback. McCarron will be playing in his first playoff game in the NFL, but he has experience under the bright lights as he won a National Championship with Alabama in college.
