Winless Cincinnati Bengals bench QB Andy Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley
Tuesday 29 October 2019 18:38, UK
The Cincinnati Bengals are benching longtime starting quarterback Andy Dalton in favour of rookie Ryan Finley.
First-year coach Zac Taylor is making the move - on Dalton's 32nd birthday - during the team's bye week following an 0-8 start.
Cincinnati are 29th in the NFL in scoring at 15.5 points per game and 25th in yards per game (317.2). The Bengals haven't scored more than 23 points in any game and have often been in catch-up mode, with Dalton leading the league in passing attempts (338) and completions (204).
He has thrown for 2,252 yards, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Dalton has started 128 games for the Bengals since the start of his rookie season in 2011, when he was a second-round pick out of Texas Christian University. He led the team to 50 victories in his first five seasons, but the franchise has struggled since then, last making the playoffs in the 2015 season, with Dalton posting an 18-32-1 record in the past three-and-a-half years.
The Bengals made the playoffs in each of Dalton's first five seasons, losing the wild-card game each year.
Dalton, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has completed 2,647 of 4,259 career passes for 30,352 yards, with 197 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
The Bengals selected Finley in the fourth round out of North Carolina State. He will make his NFL debut when Cincinnati host the Baltimore Ravens on November 10, when star receiver AJ Green is hoping to make his season debut.
In three preseason games, Finley was 47 of 64 for 414 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
