Cincy’s playoff win drought may just continue

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After starting the season 8-0, the Cincinnati Bengals went only 4-4 during the second half of the season, which doesn’t exactly bode well for their playoff hopes.

The Bengals have the unfortunate task of hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday night in the opening round of the AFC playoffs, so Cincy’s 25-year playoff win drought may just continue for at least another year.

Backup quarterback AJ McCarron will start the playoff game for Cincinnati, which probably isn’t such a bad thing considering how awful starter Andy Dalton has been the last four years in playoff games.

Before breaking his right thumb, Dalton did have a great regular season going – likely because McCarron has been pushing him harder in practice than any other backup QB has since Dalton arrived on the scene.

Unlike Dalton, McCarron actually has proven himself to be a winner in big games since he led Alabama to a pair of national championships.

Does McCarron have a better chance of winning Saturday’s game than Dalton would?

Maybe, although a win over the Steelers – a team that is usually more physical than the Bengals – would be a long shot either way.

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Trivia Time – Jim O’Toole was the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the 1961 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds.

This week’s question – Which Reds’ pitcher relieved O’Toole in Game 1 of the 1961 World Series?

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By Steve Stout

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Reach Steve Stout at 652-1331 (ext. 1776) or on Twitter @udcstout

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