When Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton completed his first pass for minus-5 yards Sunday at Indianapolis, it was a portent of things to come. But at least he hit his target.
Dalton spent much of the rest of the afternoon throwing incompletions. The result was a shutout defeat and 18 connections on 36 tries for a mere 126 yards. He averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.
His problems and that of the rest of the offense meant a team-record 11 punts in one game despite five minutes showing on the clock in the third quarter.
Dalton, who threw for just 12 yards in the first quarter, will attempt to turn it around against visiting Baltimore next Sunday.