Has Andy Dalton Finally Hit the Rookie Wall?

Nine games into his rookie season, Andy Dalton continues to impress. Prior to opening day there was a general consensus around the league that the man now known as "The Red Rifle" was likely in for a tough year in 2011.

However, with a 6-3 record at the season's halfway point, the Bengals appear to be legitimate contenders for a playoff spot, and by piling up a five-game winning streak consisting of three road wins in the process, they began to garner a significant amount of justified praise.

It's hard to say this soon after, but the loss at home to Pittsburgh last week may well be referred to as the "Bengals' 2011 reality-check" come the season's end, assuming pundits' predictions that the Bengals would sink from here on out come true.

Dalton put in a fairly impressive showing against the Steelers considering the outcome, completing 15 of 30 passes for 170 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The exotic defense with which he had to contend last week provided him a tough test and unfortunately the rookie made some mistakes towards the day's end.

Dalton may well be having a great rookie year, but when you play tough teams like Pittsburgh, it's not a case of just playing well, it's a case of taking your game to the next level. To try and do this, Dalton has relied on a gutsy and talented supporting cast keeping him afloat, and with injuries to key players likely to affect Sunday's game in Baltimore, the pressure on Dalton will be greater than ever before.

So, is this the moment Dalton crashes back down to earth?

I don't think so. 2011 has been a strange year for football, and with four rookie QBs leading their teams at this point in the year, the concept of the rookie wall has been made somewhat redundant. The old adage that the NFL stands for "Not For Long" is ever-present in today's game, and as a result rookies are expected to come in and win right from the get-go, with offenses being tailored to their skills rather than vice versa.

So what does this mean for Dalton? 

Well, Dalton has been lucky in sharing his rookie season with a rookie offensive coordinator in the impressive Jay Gruden. Dalton has not had to fill Carson Palmer's shoes and run his plays; rather, Gruden has hit the reset button on the offense, and they have built a simple and fresh system from the ground up. Dalton is not being asked to do anything he isn't capable of, and thanks to a stout defense, he isn't being put under pressure to air it out on every drive in desperation.

The Bengals are succeeding where other teams are failing. Like Cam Newton and Steve Smith in Carolina, the Bengals do have a dynamite QB-WR combo in what has been dubbed "Dalton to Green," but they do not rely on it. Instead, Gruden's offense is utilising a bunch of guys you have probably never heard of (Andrew Hawkins, anyone?) in order to keep defenses off-balance.

In hindsight, Dalton may have been placed in the best situation of all the rookie QBs this year. Gruden's influence on the rookie cannot be understated, and through a simple and wide-ranging approach, both should continue to produce on offense regardless of whether that brings wins. Dalton has not hit the wall yet, and may not going forward, but he also might not be able to jump quite as high as some of his more established peers right now.

A prime candidate for Rookie of the Year, Dalton's performances in the next few weeks in Baltimore and Pittsburgh will likely define his and the team's 2011 campaign, and will also go a long way towards deciding whether the aforementioned honor goes to him or Cam Newton.

The Baltimore Ravens' No. 3 defense is more than a wall, it's a fortress, and if Dalton can scale it on Sunday, "The Red Rifle" could taste the playoffs in his rookie season.