A quick observation of quarterback Andy Dalton and how he played in the Cincinnati Bengals' 14-13 win in Week 13:
As horrendous as the sick Dalton looked in the first half of Sunday's win at Tampa Bay, he played significantly better in the final two quarters.
For starters, he didn't have any interceptions in the second half after throwing three before halftime. Each of the pickoffs came on ugly, inaccurate throws, and at least one of them was the product of miscommunication between him and the receiver. It was the second time in Dalton's career that he threw three interceptions in a half and the seventh time he threw that many in a game.
Although it's easy to blame Dalton's poor early play on a stomach bug he picked up the night before, neither he nor his coaches did that after the game. Head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson did relay Monday how proud they were of the way Dalton battled back in the third and fourth quarters. Several of Dalton's throws in those periods were dramatically sharper, including three straight in the third quarter that were perfectly placed between two defenders. Jermaine Gresham and Mohamed Sanu caught two of those throws for first downs. They came just ahead of another well-placed throw on A.J. Green's 13-yard touchdown reception that was the game's difference-making score.
