Steelers, Bengals go into playoff game with Andy Dalton on the brain

According to STATs, the last quarterback to start a playoff game and win it after making three or fewer regular season starts in his career is Gifford Nielsen in 1979.

As Dalton told the press last Friday, he had an appointment with with doctor scheduled for Monday, and he was optimistic that he might get the cast removed.

The only time these two met in the playoffs was in 2006.

What the Bengals do have going for them, though, is McCarron’s college pedigree.

“It’s going to be unfortunate if Andy (Dalton) can’t go”, said left tackle Andrew Whitworth. McCarron also expressed that he did not feel he took good care of the football the last time he faced the Steelers as the backup. Receiver Mohamed Sanu has taken snaps in wildcat formations and could be an emergency quarterback.

In twelve games with Andy Dalton (excluding his brief appearance against the Steelers), the Bengals averaged 27.8 points a game and scored more than 24 points in nine of those games.

In the team’s last four games, A.J.

The game wasn’t one that particularly stood out on the stat sheet, with Jerome Bettis the leading rusher with just 52 yards, but all of them hard-fought, meaningful yards that included a five-yard touchdown, and Ward catching just two passes for 10 yards, one of the two catches going for a five-yard touchdown. “We get a chance to redeem ourselves”.

With the Steelers secondary who struggled all year, they will have their handful with an elite receiver in AJ Green and one of the most improved tight ends in Tyler Eifert. The second-year quarterback threw two touchdowns and two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown by William Gay and celebrated forever, in the 33-20 win for the Steelers.

McCarron said Saturday’s game wouldn’t be a grudge match for him.

“He said he remembered”, McCarron said. “I’ll see when that time comes”, he said. The Chiefs have been playing as well as any defense in the league in the past couple months despite key injuries to Justin Houston (knee) and Tamba Hali (thumb). As of late, the Steelers have found success on offense. They have a good sense of balance with running the ball and passing. “We weren’t as thrilled with some of his decisions his first opportunity”, Lewis said of that game against Pittsburgh. The Alabama product showed flashes he could lead the Bengals during that game but, overall, the results were mixed. I anticipate McCarron starting and playing this week. To play Saturday, he would have to practice Tuesday.

There was none of that Wednesday, when he stood around. Rookie LB Trevor Roach was promoted from the practice squad.

In that game, less than two years after McCarron’s meeting with Roethlisberger at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the freshman quarterback’s St. Paul’s Saints lost to the 10-ranked Wolverines 20-0 in their season-opening game at E.E. Delaney Stadium in Mobile.

During an interview this week, McCarron shared the details behind his first meeting with Roethlisberger, which came after Big Ben’s Miami Redhawks won the GMAC Bowl over Louisville in December 2003.

“After the game, I went under the stadium to the locker room and saw his mom, dad, sister and him”, McCarron said.