Late in the third quarter while Cincinnati was facing a 28-point deficit, quarterback Andy Dalton received several shots from a pass rushing defense that Cincinnati's protection schemes (and personnel) just couldn't stop. Finally with 12:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis elected to take Andy Dalton out of the game and give backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski a few snaps.
Though it seems logical enough of a move to prevent unnecessary injury, especially at a time that the Bengals basically ruled themselves out of a possible comeback by the second quarter (read Lewis' comments after the game), the move began to take on a suspicious meaning of its own that Dalton may have been injured during one of Pittsburgh's brutal assaults.
When asked after the game, Marvin Lewis was asked why Dalton was removed saying that "We got a chance to give Bruce a little bit of work and moved forward."
Andy Dalton reiterated that by saying he's fine physically and that "I wanted to stay in there, but it’s just part of it."