There's no way around it: Andy Dalton has been terrible so far in 2017, and the Bengals offense is putrid. Yes, the Bengals have faced two of the toughest defenses in the league, and, yes, the Bengals just fired their offensive coordinator after two weeks, but no touchdowns through two weeks is unacceptable for a team hoping to make a playoff push. The Bengals are in the dreaded 0-2 hole, but AJ McCarron makes at least one person who thinks Andy Dalton can bounce back.
In an interview with Dan Hoard, McCarron gave a ringing endorsement of Dalton -- starting with a Terrell Owens style "that's our quarterback" -- while asking fans to stick it out with their guy. "He's our quarterback," McCarron said. "Do you think he wants to have tipped balls that turned into interceptions? Has he worked his whole life for that? … I wish people in this city would back him and go with it. He's our quarterback, stop making it into something else. Ride with him, trust the team, trust the process and trust what we're trying to do and be a fan of who's playing."
These are certainly strong words, and backup quarterbacks don't often defend the one person between them and the field so vehemently. Bengals fans haven't agreed thus far: They've thrown things at Dalton and a rumor recently surfaced about the team wanting to pursue Colin Kaepernick (although that rumor was largely unsubstantiated).
It's a bit of a Day of Reckoning for Marvin Lewis's Bengals. They still haven't won a playoff game under Lewis and are in the middle of a 26-year playoff win drought, longest in the NFL. Lewis has been with the team since 2003, making him the second longest-tenured coach in the league, with only Bill Belichick serving longer.
It's a team with too much talent to dwell in the basement of the AFC North while the Steelers and Ravens battle it out. However, their problems do run beyond Dalton. A struggling offensive line and a defensive unit that's missing Vontaze Burfict, arguably its best player alongside Geno Atkins, has the Bengals reeling. It may take more than the words of a backup quarterback to galvanize the Cincinnati faithful into supporting Dalton again, but it's at least a step in the right direction. The Bengals are in trouble early, but there's still time to turn the ship around.
