AJ McCarron Proving He Can Lead Bengals in Playoffs

When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton broke his thumb in last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the groan from the Queen City could be felt from coast to coast.

Another promising regular season looked to be down the tubes. A Bengals team that won its first eight games in 2015 was staring at the very real possibility of a fifth straight one-and-done postseason.

However, while the Bengals didn't exactly rack up the style points in defeating a bad San Francisco 49ers team 24-14 in Week 15 to secure a playoff spot, the Bengals showed they can win with AJ McCarron at quarterback.

And McCarron showed enough in victory to give Bengals fans some hope that even if Dalton can't return for the playoffs, the franchise has a puncher's chance of notching its first postseason win since 1990.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Mind you, McCarron—making the first start of his NFL career—hardly lit up the box score or scoreboard. The second-year pro completed 15 of 21 passes for 192 yards and one score. In fact, the whole Cincinnati offense was in a funk, managing fewer than 250 yards of total offense against a San Francisco defense that entered Week 15 allowing over 400 yards a game.

This from a Bengals offense that entered Sunday sixth in the NFL at over 376 yards per contest.

Of course, it was also a Bengals offense without Dalton, tight end Tyler Eifert and wide receiver AJ Green, who spent much of the game watching from the sidelines after tweaking his back in walkthroughs on Saturday.

To call Sunday's performance from McCarron "game-managing" would be kind.

And you know what? That's fine. This week, it was exactly what the Bengals needed McCarron to do. Be efficient. Don't make mistakes with the football. Let the defense carry the day against the Niners' offensive offense (dead last in the NFL).

And the defense did carry it. Yes, the 49ers actually gained 318 yards to Cincinnati's 242, but the Bengals tallied four sacks and more importantly forced four turnovers. Turnovers that afforded McCarron and the offense a short field. Turnovers that the team capitalized on.

In leading the Bengals to the win, McCarron accomplished something that no Alabama signal-caller had done in the National Football League in quite a while:

McCarron certainly enjoyed his share of success in college, twice leading the Crimson Tide to victory in the BCS National Championship Game.

Tackle Andrew Whitworth told ESPN.com's Coley Harvey before the game that McCarron has already demonstrated to teammates the ability to command the offense:

"

It was just his energy and passion and accountability in the huddle. Quarterbacks all have different personalities, but he has one of those that's kind of a rally-the-troops personality. 'Just give me a chance, let me make this play' type of guy. He's got that. It's a special thing that not a lot of people have.

"

However, until Sunday, McCarron had never shown the Bengals the only thing that really matters at this point: The ability to start and win an NFL game.

McCarron may not have lit the world on fire, but he did his job. Capably. More than capably, in fact, showing nice touch on a couple of deep throws.

The real kicker? In doing so, McCarron may have played himself out of having a chance to become the latest Tom Brady, Trent Dilfer or Jeff Hostetler—backup quarterbacks who led their teams to Super Bowls.

The Bengals' win, coupled with the Denver Broncos' second-half collapse against the Pittsburgh Steelers, gave the Bengals a one-game lead for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If McCarron and the Bengals can knock off the Broncos in Denver next week, they will earn a first-round playoff bye.

A bye that would give Dalton's thumb an extra week to heal.

Now, it's far from guaranteed that Cincy will beat the Broncos, especially if the run game continues to sputter. It's also not guaranteed that Dalton's thumb will be ready for the Wild Card Round. Or the divisional round. Or at all.

Still, outside of New England, question marks abound in the AFC.

Denver hasn't scored a single second-half point in three weeks. The Jets and Chiefs are both essentially what the Bengals have become under McCarron—teams that rely on their defense and hope that the quarterback doesn't cost them in the end.

On Sunday, McCarron showed enough that it's not out of the realm of reason to think the Bengals could get a win against one of those teams. Maybe even two. Especially at Paul Brown Stadium.

He showed that maybe that first postseason win in 25 years isn't out of the question after all.

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 @IDPSharks.