The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a crucial blow with the season-ending thumb injury to quarterback Andy Dalton. Wide receiver A.J. Green is certainly not downplaying his absence down the final stretch of the year.
Dalton has caught some flak for his struggles over the last couple of seasons, and now there are rumblings that Cincinnati could move on from him after the season. According to ESPN's Katherine Terrell, Green is still confident in his quarterback's ability:
“When Andy and I got here I feel like we turned a lot of things around. We still can do that. Put some more pieces around us and we’ll be fine.”
Green's comments should come as no surprise. He and Dalton entered the league together as fellow members of the 2011 NFL Draft class. They have since become one of the more notable quarterback/receiver pairings in the NFL. It is clear Green would like to have Dalton around as long as possible.
Unfortunately, it is getting harder to make his case with each season. The two showed plenty of promise early on after making five straight playoff appearances. However, they were never able to make it past the first round and are now on the verge of missing the postseason for the third consecutive year. Although Green remains as one of the elite wideouts in the league, the same cannot be said for Dalton.
Of course, the veteran quarterback is not the only one to blame. Head coach Marvin Lewis has been on the hot seat for quite some time. It is safe to assume that some significant changes are on the way if the Bengals fall short of the playoffs once again.
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