Andy Dalton's Injury Doesn't Sink Cincinnati Bengals' Playoff Aspirations

The fact that the Cincinnati Bengals, now 10-3, lost 33-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday doesn't matter much in the wake of quarterback Andy Dalton's injury.

In fact, let conventional wisdom tell it, and the tectonic plates of the league and AFC playoffs have shifted in dramatic fashion

Let's pump the brakes.

The Bengals are just fine without Dalton when it comes to playoff standings. That Cincinnati's loss to its closest rival isn't much of a topic of discussion says it all. Before the injury-littered weekend, the Bengals controlled their own destiny in pursuit of the conference's crown.

Dalton hurt himself in the first quarter. He attempted to shovel the ball to a receiver, Steelers lineman Stephon Tuitt caught wind of it and picked it off. Dalton went low and prevented a huge return, jamming his thumb in the process.

Following the game, Dalton talked plans and head coach Marvin Lewis revealed that Dalton will miss time, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

ESPN's Bob Holtzman provided a bleaker outlook:

After Dalton left, AJ McCarron stepped in to post a 22-of-32 line for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

There was good, such as a 66-yard scoring connection with A.J. Green. There was bad, such as forcing the ball and poor reads.

But in reality? Those numbers look great given the circumstances.

A guy who had never started a game as a pro was yanked off the bench and placed into a playoff atmosphere against his team's biggest rival despite no first-team reps. The contest featured not only AFC playoff implications but pregame fights and countless personal fouls on both sides in a violent affair.

What most don't realize?

McCarron already one-upped Dalton in one area, as ESPN.com's Coley Harvey explained: "His 66-yard touchdown pass to Green, on only his fifth throw of the game, was a well-delivered strike that traveled 36 yards in the air, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Dalton has yet to throw a pass 30 yards in the air to Green this season."

So no, McCarron wasn't too bad. And what's there to worry about if Dalton misses the next three games?

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Call it three-game training wheels. Cincinnati travels to San Francisco next week to take on the four-win 49ers—the team starting Blaine Gabbert at quarterback with wins against Minnesota, Baltimore, Atlanta and Chicago. San Francisco just got laughed out of the building in a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

There's a trip to Denver after that, which is a major problem. But even then, Denver is as unpredictable as it gets, as evidenced by a blowout 29-13 loss to Kansas City in Week 10 or a 17-15 escape of Chicago.

One year ago, Cincinnati didn't need much in the way of offense to take down the Broncos late in the season, picking off Peyton Manning four times.

To end the season? A rematch with Baltimore, a team the Bengals already beat 28-24 this year. Since, the Ravens have won four games, lost Joe Flacco, Steve Smith, Justin Forsett and others to injury.

There's at least one win in there for the Bengals. The defense can carry a game-managing quarterback, something Cincinnati fans should know quite well.

It's also important to keep in mind that the Bengals didn't enter Sunday against Pittsburgh healthy, mainly due to the absence of cornerback Adam Jones, Pro Football Focus' 11th-best cornerback. McCarron also didn't get to lean on Tyler Eifert, who was fighting for the league lead in touchdown receptions before leaving with an issue..

Assuming those two can come back, the units around McCarron get a major boost.

Everyone knows what Eifert and Green can do. Then there's Marvin Jones, who would post maybe Eric Decker-esque numbers if it weren't for Eifert. The duo of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard can carry the offense or at least keep it brutally balanced, too.

With actual first-team reps and experience under his belt, who knows? The Alabama product sure sounds confident about improving in the next week and beyond, as captured by Harvey:

Now, if Dalton cannot suit up for the playoffs, then one has to hope McCarron is oh so right and capable of managing a game while leaning on an elite defense. But the supporting cast isn't changing much until then, injuries permitting.

Where and whom the Bengals will line up against this postseason are unknowns, but it's been an odd, unpredictable year. The opponent could be anyone from a Tom Brady-led New England Patriots team to the New York Jets to the Kansas City Chiefs to the Steelers again to even the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Frank Victores/Associated Press

In a way, it's quite fitting that the Bengals have joined the ridiculous fray in a season during which Manning got benched, star back after star back fell to injury and it looks like at least two .500 teams will win divisions.

The postseason's never easy and, yes, maybe being robbed of seeing if Dalton could get a win stinks. But that's no excuse to write off these Bengals, who have grown up so much this year and still rank with the best talent-wise—Dalton under center or not.

That cloud hanging over the Bengals that is Dalton's future? It's big anchor alright. But McCarron and perhaps the league's best supporting cast won't sink without a fight.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.