Dalton has cast removed, could be backup QB vs Steelers

That could be good news for the Steelers. The injury stemmed from a hit by linebacker Vontaze Burfict that spurred a war of words with Steelers linebacker Vince Williams that spilled over into social media and pregame warmups last month.

But now the Steelers need to fight another battle, and that means shutting down quarterback A.J. McCarron and the Bengals’ passing game.

There, they would travel to Mile High Stadium to play the Broncos, yet another game that is kind of unpredictable. So, too, was the fact he was walking around pretty well following the game in a plastic boot.

Roethlisberger struggled in his last three games of the regular season, throwing six interceptions along with six touchdowns.

The Seahawks are the two-time defending NFC champions who were one play away last February from back-to-back Super Bowl titles. And now it’s McCarron instead of injured starter Andy Dalton practicing with the offense to start the week. Coach Lewis and the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise will be hoping for the same type of success this weekend in what will definitely be the biggest game of McCarron’s professional career thus far.

Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of that game injuring the thumb on his right hand.

That’s not necessarily a good thing. The Bengals have to keep in mind that if they abandon this strategy they risk giving the Steelers extra possessions because if AJ McCarron passes the ball two to three times per every four downs. It’s extremely hard to win a game. When asked if there is an upside to being familiar with an opponent on a short week of rest, Lewis said the Bengals already have done their homework.

Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and reporter Lisa Salters will call the game from NRG Stadium in Houston.

“Isn’t Baltimore their rival?”

“A lot of people talk about the yards we give up in the secondary, but usually when that happens we’re getting great red zone stops, we’re getting turnovers, we’re causing havoc up front with the defensive line, making teams one dimensional”, safety Will Allen said.

@ Tomlin again remained coy when talking about his team’s cornerback rotation.

“That’s what’s insane about this”, McCarron said. But it’s also capable of changing week to week. Cincinnati took a huge step this year and looked much better than in years past, but without their star signal caller, I can’t see how an inexperienced AJ McCarron will be successful against a gritty, experienced Steelers team.

DiManche originally signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and spent two years with the team, appearing in 28 games with 13 tackles on defense and 15 on special teams.

Pittsburgh is 8-3 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. The pass defense, however, has been an obvious weakness.

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in the playoffs for the second year in a row, but instead of a division win, they captured the last spot through a bit of luck.

– The Bengals are the only team in National Football League history to lose opening-round games in four straight seasons.

In the December meeting between the two teams, linebackers Vontaze Burfict and James Harrison met in the middle of the field before the game even began, prompting a pregame shoving match between the two squads.