NFL Grades: Report card for each QB after four games
By Erik Lambert
Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals): C+
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Andy Dalton is who he is at this point. The veteran Bengals quarterback got off to an excellent start this season with six touchdowns and just one interception in his first two games. That included a particularly strong performance against Baltimore where he threw four touchdowns. Then, per usual, he crashed back to earth.
The Carolina Panthers picked him off four times in the Bengals’ only loss of the season, reminding everybody that Dalton remains the slightly above-average quarterback he’s always been. Every time he seems to run into a good defense (that he’s not familiar with) he ends up struggling. Sure enough the next week against a depleted Falcons team he had three touchdowns in a big win.
Odds are the Bengals are back to where they’ve been since Dalton was draft. They’re a good team with a strong chance to win the AFC North or claim a wild card. They’ll get into the postseason and promptly lose their first game. Why? Dalton simply isn’t capable of elevating his play beyond where he’s been the past several years.