:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44332700/usa-today-8187856.0.jpg)
The last time that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton played Cleveland, it was historic... and not in the good sense. During the Browns 24-3 win on Nov. 6 edition of Thursday Night Football, Dalton completed 10 of 33 passes for 86 yards passing with three interceptions and a quarterback rating of 2.0. The rating is a career-low (I mean, obviously), as was the completion percentage (30.3 percent). The yardage (86) was the third-worst performance, matching other lows against the Browns.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2547726/Capture.0.JPG)
NOTE: The performance in '11 was the first half only -- he sat in the second half with an elbow.
In the four games played since then, Dalton has rebounded. Against the Saints, Texans, Buccaneers and Steelers, Dalton has combined for a completion percentage of 70.8, with 931 yards passing, seven touchdowns and four picks (three of those in the first half against the Buccaneers) and a passer rating of 101.3.
Per the Cincinnati Enquirer:
"I knew how he was going to bounce back because I'd seen it before," said quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese. "I knew what was going to happen. That's the part that you look forward to the next week because you knew it wasn't going to be two in a row."
..."Playing like I know I can play," Dalton said of how he changed after that night. "That game doesn't show what type of player I am and so just getting back to doing the things I can do."
"He's playing better," offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said of Dalton. "It's the poise. It's been written, and we don't make any excuses for it, but he's gotten pieces back little-by-little. I don't think people understand how much that upsets the rhythm of a quarterback, sometimes. Especially being in a somewhat different system, a little bit, things can get a little off."