Can Jeremy Hill Carry Bengals If Andy Dalton Falters vs. Colts?

For the fourth time in four years, the Cincinnati Bengals are in the playoffs.

For the fourth time in four years, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton will try to lead the Bengals to their first postseason victory since January 6, 1991.

Once again, much of the narrative surrounding Sunday's trip to Indianapolis centers on Dalton and his struggles in the playoffs. Concerns about those struggles are certainly valid—so much so the Bengals' biggest key to victory on offense appears clear.

Ride Jeremy Hill early and often.

Mind you, it's not as if this would mark a huge departure from what the Bengals have been doing over the past month or so. Over the last three games of the 2014 season, Hill averaged more than 23 carries and 130 rushing yards a game.

As Coley Harvey of ESPN reports, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson indicated it was no accident the Bengals dialed up the run game as the end of the regular season drew near:

"

I promised you guys at some point in time I would run the ball. That's who I am. You guys are starting to see the fruits of the labor. I didn't have to tell the players, I didn't have to tell anybody when I think that time is. But I knew when it was coming.

"

It's hard to argue with the results. As Harvey points out, since Week 9 Hill leads all NFL running backs in yards per carry. A Cincinnati ground game that ranked 21st in the NFL in rushing yards through eight weeks ended the season sixth.

And frankly, the timing couldn't be better because Andy Dalton has been mostly horrible in big games, including the playoffs.

G	Comp. %	PYPG	TD	INT	Rating	Record
3	56.7	239.3	1	6	56.2	0-3

Unfortunately, those struggles were in evidence in the loss last week that handed the AFC North title to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that game, Dalton attempted 38 passes, easily the most attempts he had during Hill's three-game outburst to end the season.

Dalton had his biggest day yardage-wise of the three games against Pittsburgh, but he also threw a pair of back-breaking interceptions. Simply put, there's been nothing in Dalton's four-year NFL career to indicate he's the player the Bengals want putting the offense on his shoulders in Indianapolis.

And that's without even mentioning star wide receiver A.J. Green is by no means a sure thing for Sunday's Wild Card game after sustaining a concussion in Pittsburgh.

Dalton-to-Sanu sounds like a French phrase that translates to "one-and-done."

There's another reason why a hefty dose of Hill is absolutely crucial for the Bengals against the Colts, and we need look no further than last October to find it.

These teams met in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium, before the Bengals committed to Hill as the Bengals' lead back and with Green sidelined by an injured toe.

The result was a 27-0 pasting in which Andrew Luck threw for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Dalton completed less than half of his 38 pass attempts for a whopping 126 yards.

Unfortunately (there's that word again), the Bengals aren't in much better shape to slow the Colts down this week than they were back in October.

After possessing one of the NFL's most feared pass rushes in 2013, the bottom dropped out this year. For the season the Bengals amassed 20 sacks, dead last in the NFL.

That's two sacks less than Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs had by himself.

Now, I'm no defensive coordinator, but I'm pretty sure if you give Andrew Luck enough time to make a sandwich before he surveys the field for an open receiver the result will be more than a turkey and provolone on sourdough.

Of course, Luck can't carve the Bengals defense to pieces if he doesn't have the ball, as he and the Colts did for nearly 40 minutes of that October beatdown.

Add it all up, and this much becomes crystal-clear: As goes Jeremy Hill, so will go the Bengals against Indy.

Yes, it's a lot of pressure to hoist onto a rookie, and Hill can't afford to keep putting it on the turf. The 6'1", 238-pounder has fumbled five times this season, losing two.

Still, after losing a fumble in the Bengals' Week 16 win over the Broncos, Hill insisted to Harvey ball security was going to be a priority moving forward:

"

It's (fumbling) something I'm not used to doing, and I still can't get used to. You've just got to learn from it and continue to go out there and continue to fight and try to overcome adversity.

"

It's a matchup that suits Hill as well. The Colts rank a so-so 18th in the NFL against the run, allowing just over 116 yards a game. They've shown to be especially susceptible to bigger, between-the-tackles bulldozers.

You know, like Hill.

In fact, the Bengals have already seen exactly how to use Hill to beat the Colts. In Week 11, the New England Patriots came to Lucas Oil Stadium and pummeled the Colts 42-20.

In that game, the Pats dominated on the ground. Running back Jonas Gray gashed Indianapolis for 201 yards on a staggering 37 carries, including four touchdowns.

In that game, Gray had more rushes than Tom Brady had passing attempts.

Now, this isn't to say all the Bengals need to do to win is pound away with Hill. At some point Dalton is going to have to make a play. Some semblance of a pass rush would be nice. And turnovers, as always, are the kiss of death.

But, whether it's exploiting Indy's weakness, minimizing their own or just keeping the rock away from an MVP candidate, this much is true...

The key to a Bengals win in the flatlands of Indiana Sunday lies in climbing a Hill.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.