NEXT GAME
Baltimore Ravens (5-10) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: Ch. 19, 45
Radio: 700-AM, 102.7-FM, 104.7-FM
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron was back to work Wednesday, despite his injured left wrist, and he expects to play Sunday against Baltimore.
McCarron hurt his non-throwing wrist on the final play of Monday night’s 20-17 overtime loss at Denver when he fumbled the snap and collided with Broncos linebacker Demarcus Ware going for the loose ball.
According to reports, an MRI showed a sprain, but McCarron said he isn’t worried about it affecting his play. The Bengals (11-4) host the Ravens (5-10) at 1 p.m. Sunday in the regular-season finale.
“I am practicing,” McCarron said Wednesday. “I just did the walk-through, so I don’t have any concerns. I’m ready to get back playing, ready to go.”
McCarron said he would have to get through a full-speed practice before seeing whether the injury has any physical or mental effect on him. However, he added that he is “a pretty tough guy” and has played through injuries, so he isn’t worried.
In just his second NFL start and third meaningful game since replacing injured Andy Dalton, McCarron completed 22 of 35 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown, a 5-yard strike to A.J. Green on the opening drive. He was 12-for-17 with 119 yards in the first half before the offense slowed down and let go of a 14-3 halftime lead.
The Bengals were driving from their own 33-yard line with 9:48 left in overtime — and trying to answer the Broncos’ go-ahead field goal — when McCarron fumbled the second-and-10 snap to end the game. He had no other turnovers.
“You watch the film, evaluate and you’ve got to move on,” McCarron said. “… It’s just an unfortunate thing that happened. My eyes got caught up. I was trying to read the defense, and I thought we were going to have a big play, and it happens. It’s football. It sucks to happen in that moment, rather than play 20 of the game, but it’s just one of those things.”
Despite the way the game ended, McCarron’s teammates remain confident he can bounce back.
“He’s a special kid,” linebacker Rey Maualuga said. “Everyone knows that. When Andy went down, everyone said that he’s been in a lot of tough games. He’s come from a winning history. I don’t think anybody had doubts in his playmaking abilities.”
It’s still uncertain whether Dalton will be back from his right thumb injury in time for the playoffs, especially with a first-round bye still in question.
Left tackle Andrew Whitworth said he has no doubt the Bengals can win with McCarron if Dalton isn’t ready.
“He has enough leadership and character,” Whitworth said. “The most important thing for a quarterback is how the guys feel in the huddle with him and the confidence they have around him, and there’s not a guy that doesn’t doubt he’s going to come in and give us the best he’s got and he’s going to make good decisions and those kind of things.”
Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson also said McCarron’s ability to put together a full four quarters “is coming.” He was 10 of 15 on third-down passes Monday, including converting his first seven attempts.
“I think we can do anything we want to do with him,” Jackson said. “Obviously we hope to get Andy back, but if we’ve got to play with AJ, we’ve got to play with AJ. I’m not afraid of that. You’re not going to see me blink once, and he’s not either, and the offense is not. We’re going to continue to get better.
“He’s not content as a backup. There’s a fire that burns in him, that he wants to be one of the best players in the league. Those are the kind of guys you want.”
About the Author