Bengals Jay Gruden not worried about elements in passing game

There isn't much wind in the forecast to worry about this weekend, but the arriving Arctic air, possible freezing rain (or sleet) could make for dreadful conditions on Sunday. It's one of the reasons why Cincinnati is projected to re-establish themselves as a power rushing offense against the Indianapolis Colts, who currently hold the league's 28th-best rushing offense.

That doesn't mean Dalton won't throw it -- however, it would appear that the team is slowly preferring to use the pass to help establish the run, as opposed to the other way around.

Yet don't be surprised if the Bengals throws a few deep balls. Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who despite calling the actual plays said he's like more Tyler Eifert this week, believes that Dalton has a good enough arm to deal with the conditions.

"His arm is strong enough; he throws a good ball for the wind," Gruden said via Bengals.com. "He spins it pretty good. He's got a great torso (spin). He throws a hard ball that knifes through the wind."

Including passes that were dropped but excluding yards after the catch (26 drops so far), Andy Dalton ranks 13th in the NFL this year with 1,623 yards thrown in the air on passes that were caught (again, including dropped passes).

According to the National Weather Service, the region is under a Winter Weather Advisory, which will begin at 6 a.m. (ET) Sunday morning through 4 a.m. (ET) Monday. The forecast is calling for 1 to 2 inches of snow and a tenth of an inch of ice.