Coach Marvin Lewis said Monday that Dalton still needs more tests to determine the severity of the thumb injury he suffered in Sunday's 35-20 loss to the Browns, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
While it isn't a great sign when extensive testing is required for a diagnosis, there's no need to jump to conclusions in the immediate aftermath of Dalton's departure from the Week 12 loss. The 31-year-old injured his right thumb in the third quarter of the contest, allowing Jeff Driskell to finish out the game as Cincinnati tried to erase a 28-point deficit. Driskell orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives, but the Bengals surely will want Dalton back under center with the final wild-card spot in the AFC still up for grabs. Week 13 brings a tricky home matchup against a Denver team coming off back-to-back wins over the Chargers and Steelers.