NFL Week 13, 2019: 20 Bold predictions to consider
By Dan Parzych
20. Bengals finally earn first win after switching back to Dalton
For whatever reasons, the Cincinnati Bengals thought it would be a good idea to bench Andy Dalton a few weeks ago to see if Ryan Finley was capable of helping the team finally earn their first win of 2019.
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Since it’s unfair to determine whether Finley has what it takes to lead the offense since the Bengals as a team are a complete mess, and it was difficult to evaluate the rookie after only playing in a few games, the decision to make the switch back to Dalton isn’t surprising.
As for whether this is a sign these next few weeks will be viewed as an audition for Dalton to prove that he deserves to be the starting quarterback in Cincinnati beyond the 2019 season, well that’s a different story.
Whether it happens to be auditioning for the Bengals or simply another team down the road that may be interested in his services, Dalton should be feeling more motivated than ever heading into Sunday’s meeting with the New York Jets.
The Jets may be heating up at the right time with three impressive wins in a row, but desperation sometimes brings out the best in players and teams, meaning Dalton could finally help Cincinnati get the monkey off their back by earning their first win in Week 13.