Andy Dalton out of his cast, status still unknown

So, the Bengals are preparing for the Steelers as if AJ McCarron will start the wild-card round Saturday night against the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium. It is unlikely that Andy Dalton suits up for this one, making this A.J. McCarron’s first playoff start, but Cincinnati hasn’t altered their playbook a great deal with McCarron behind center.

His scant inclusion in practice this week has McCarron in line for a fourth straight start since replacing Dalton early in a 33-20 home loss to Pittsburgh on December 13, but Dalton is confident there’ll be another week of practice. From the huddle calls to where he’s going to be – and all those kinds of things. The regular season record no longer matters and the only thing the team wants to see right now is consistency. Few in recent memory have his long dimensions and speed without sacrificing the ability to change directions. Back in 2003, after Big Ben threw four touchdowns for a Miami (Ohio) win in the GMAC Bowl in McCarron’s hometown of Mobile, Ala., the then-13-year-old somehow snuck into the locker room and had a moment with the winning quarterback reminiscent of the old “Mean” Joe Greene Coke commercial.

“All I know is focus on what I need to focus on”, McCarron said.

“The first couple of snaps reminded me of my first high school game playing Carter-Montgomery, and I jokingly came to the sideline and asked my offensive coordinator if they had more than 11 people on the field”. As of late, the Steelers have found success on offense. Pittsburgh, however, gave up an average of 363.1 yards, which ranks 21st and ahead of just one other playoff team. In fact, they scored at least 30 points in seven of Dalton’s twelve games.

“I know that’s how we play anyway”. He led AFC North champion Cincinnati (12-4) to two wins and an overtime loss at Denver, the AFC’s top seed. After watching Big Ben throw for 376 yards and four touchdowns, McCarron made a decision to hunt the Redhawks’ star quarterback down once the game was over. “Obviously he’s done a really good job of not turning the ball over”. “I think his presence in the pass game whether it’s blocking or receiving out of the backfield has been huge for us”. The offense is lead by Adrian Peterson, this year’s leading rusher, and Teddy Bridgewater.

“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. Cincinnati has been extremely stingy to opposing quarterbacks over the second half of the season. With a win over the Bengals, the Steelers can match Dallas for the most postseason wins in National Football League history with 34.

Running back DeAngelo Williams has been good all season filling in the shoes of Le’Veon Bell, who was the starting running back before tearing his ACL.

Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin argues a call during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.

With their ground game all but mitigated, the Steelers will likely look to rely on their deep passing attack with Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant.

January 1st 2015, 8:15 PM, marks the second time the division rivals meet each other in the playoffs. That can be complicated at times, but it’s gotten better and better.

If the Bengals had Dalton, this would be a different story.