Dalton completed 16 of 27 passes for 157 yards and one interception during Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Steelers. He also tacked on a one-yard touchdown run.
Entering the weekend on the heels of back-to-back victories, the Bengals were poised to play spoiler to the Steelers' postseason hopes. Indeed, Dalton led four consecutive scoring drives to begin the game, including his own one-yard scoring plunge as the clock hit zero at the end of the first quarter. In total, the four possessions pushed the deficit to 20-6 with 2:51 remaining before halftime, but Ben Roethlisberger directed another field-goal drive to cut the lead to 11 by the mid-game break. The Steelers continued to chip away with a trio of field goals, while Dalton and company responded with no points and 28 yards of offense on three ensuing drives. With the defeat, Cincinnati has officially missed the playoffs for the first time in Dalton's career, but he'll look to go out on a high note with matchups at Houston and against the Ravens remaining on the ledger.