6. Week 8 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
The next spike on our countdown is the first of the three spikes from this International Series game. In case you have forgotten – and I can understand if you did – the Bengals trail the Rams 24-10 in the closing minute of this contest. They are without timeouts, and odds are not in their favor. But on a 3rd and 1 from their own 25-yard line, Dalton hits Auden Tate for a five-yard gain to move the chains. It is time to stop the clock:
Again, the situation is not critical. But if you want to give the fans a bit more of their money’s worth, you’re going to play out the final string here. Take advantage of the opportunity and maybe try and put some points on the board. Here is the scoring breakdown on this spike:
Situation: 2 points. Look, you are not winning this game, but since you’ve crossed the pond you might as well make all the time in London worth it.
Decisiveness: 4 points. There is some hesitation here, but eventually everyone gets on the same page.
Style: 1 point. There is not much flair here, and as we will see from some other spikes, Dalton is capable of much more.
Result: 6 points. On the next play, as we just discussed, Dalton hits Erickson for a 52-yarder to get down into Rams’ territory. Short of a touchdown, that’s pretty good!
Total score: 13 points.