AJ McCarron gets ready to help Bengals end 25-year slump

Running back Giovani Bernard was the team’s receiving leader with 46 yards. “We just need to have that chain-linked fence effect”. “And everyone in this locker room is willing to do whatever it takes to get there”.

McCarron, to start when the Bengals face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs this Saturday, the first action the young quarterback will have against the Steelers since he was thrust into the starting role due to Dalton’s injury this past month. This will be the third time that the division rivals will meet this season, and thus far the series is tied at one a piece.

Second, this is a different Bengals team than the ones that lost in the playoffs over the last four years.

It’s the Bengals’ best finish under coach Marvin Lewis, whose squad led the AFC and was second in the National Football League in scoring defense with a yield of 279 points, a franchise low. “It’s time to right the ship”.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (5) looks to pass in the… The Bengals went 0-for-9, while the Ravens (5-11) converted 12 of 20 on third down. His top receiver in the game was Mohamed Sanu, who had only 31 yards on his three catches. “I turned the ball over”. “Andy’s like a big brother to me”. He lead the Bengals to victories over the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.

McCarron made his first start at Paul Brown Stadium – and did enough to get the win. He’s thrown six touchdowns to just two interceptions, and ended the season with two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. A 49-yarder by Tucker on the final play of the half put Baltimore ahead 9-7. If the Bengals falter with McCarron under center, it’s not part of The Narrative; instead, it’s a New Narrative, one involving a relatively inexperienced quarterback in a high-stakes situation against a well-seasoned opponent. But while Baltimore moved the ball it found the end zone just once, settling for three Justin Tucker field goals.

“I’m hoping so. But again, it’s wait and see”, said Dalton. “Jeremy has played well”.

“A lot of it has to do with us dealing with him every day in practice”, said cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, a teammate of McCarron’s at Alabama. They beat the Broncos in Denver in week 15; and the Broncos later earned the number one seed.

The Bengals players didn’t bite when asked about a potential matchup with Pittsburgh which wasn’t made official until later Sunday evening.

“As much work as I put in, I felt comfortable”, Mallett said. NOTES: Bengals TE Tyler Eifert was active for the first time since suffering a concussion on December 13 against the Steelers. They’re the only team in league history to lose an opening-round game four years in a row.

Following a Pro Bowl season in 2013, Burfict spent most of a year ago trying to recover from head, neck and knee injuries and eventually needed offseason microfracture surgery to fix his left knee. Ravens QB Jimmy Clausen was inactive for the second straight week and Matt Schaub was listed as the backup….

Cincinnati won two of three after McCarron took over for Andy Dalton, who broke his right thumb during a 33-20 loss to Pittsburgh on December 13. But he certainly didn’t rule out the possibility that Dalton will return on Saturday night.