Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

QB snapshot: Andy Dalton

A quick observation of quarterback Andy Dalton and how he played in the Cincinnati Bengals' 30-0 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 15:

There's just something about the Browns, apparently. In his last four starts against them, Dalton has played some of the worst games of his last two seasons. In none of those outings has he had a Total QBR higher than the 20s. In case you didn't know, the highest possible QBR score is 100.0.

Sunday's 27.3 QBR was the product of Dalton's 14-for-24, 117-yard, no-touchdown, one-interception performance that got completely overshadowed by rookie running back Jeremy Hill's 148-yard showing. Had it not been for Hill's play, the Bengals might have been scuffling for offensive scores. Dalton just wasn't getting the job done as they tried to move the ball through the air.

Dalton struggled particularly with throwing downfield, often tossing the ball in directions opposite from where his receivers broke as they tried to get separation from Browns defensive backs. Whenever A.J. Green would open to his outside for a long throw, Dalton would throw inside. When another receiver might break inside, Dalton would throw well outside of him and out of the reach of the defensive back. Miscommunication was a major issue in the deep passing game.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Dalton was 2-for-11 when attempting passes that traveled 10 yards or more in the air. He's had only one worse completion percentage on passes of that distance this season: his 2-for-12 showing in the November meeting with the Browns.

For Dalton, there's just something about playing Cleveland, it seems.

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