The Cincinnati Bengals pulled out a win on Sunday, as they welcomed Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts to town. The Bengals actually looked good on both sides of the ball, and if they can get consistent play from their offense, like they did on Sunday, they should be alright in a very competitive AFC North division in 2018.
The issue in Cincinnati is that they can never win the big game, and have not won a single playoff game during Marvin Lewis’ tenure as head coach. Something has to change, and while Lewis will be shown the door if the team cannot get it done this season, they may also decide it is time to move on from quarterback Andy Dalton.
If the Bengals do decide to let go of Dalton, they could find his replacement in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. One player they could target is NC State signal-caller Ryan Finley, who has been one of the more consistent quarterbacks in college football during his time with the Wolfpack.
Of course, if Dalton plays the way he did on Sunday, the Bengals could decide to roll with him long-term, as they do have tremendous weapons in Joe Mixon, AJ Green, and John Ross. The worry is that you cannot trust him in the big spots, and Thursday is going to be a nice test, as the Bengals go up against a much better defense that then saw last weekend in the Baltimore Ravens.