Cincinnati Bengals Almost Overcome Andy Dalton Miscues To Beat Carolina Panthers In OT
By Justin Patrick
@calling_allfans
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals’ offense almost overcame two huge obstacles with two big turnovers and the injured toe of WR A.J Green that kept him out of action. Andy Dalton can be a really good QB, but he’s also inconsistent. That was the case on Sunday when the Bengals took on the Carolina Panthers at home.
Dalton was 34-of-44 for 323 yards with two TDs, but he also tossed up two bad interceptions. Dalton also made some good throws and some teammates had career days and made some really big plays. It just wasn’t quite enough to beat the Panthers and Cam Newton. Newton was 29-of-46 for 284 yards and 2 TDs with one INT through the air. Newton also had 17 carries for 107 yards on the ground and one rushing TD.
The Bengals (3-1, AFC North) and Panthers (3-2 (NFC South) both began Sunday as the leaders in their respective divisions. Sunday was the fifth meeting between Cincinnati and Carolina, and the series was tied at two apiece. Both teams were looking for their fourth win and to keep/extend their respective lead in their division. Neither team accomplished that goal and the series is still tied.
Each team had to try to deal with some key injuries. Among the Bengals’ injuries were wide receivers Green (toe) and Marvin Jones (ankle). The Panthers were missing cornerbacks Josh Norman (concussion) and Bene Benwikere (ankle) and running backs DeAngelo Williams (ankle) and Jonathan Stewart (knee). Both RB Giovani Bernard and WR Mohamed Sanu had career days which helped offset Dalton’s interceptions.
Both teams played hard and tried to gut out wins, but both ultimately came up short. The Panthers’ defense is not as good as last season, and they depend far too much on Newton. The Bengals will continue to search for their first playoff win since the 1990 season if Dalton and the offense continue to shoot themselves in the foot at inopportune times.
Justin Patrick is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @calling_allfans, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google. You can also email him at [email protected]
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