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Can Dalton Get Back On Track Vs. Saints?
Since Monday, an image has flashed on the television screens in the Bengals locker room featuring a message the team hopes will be apropos by the end of the week.

In orange, at the bottom of a photo of receiver Mohamed Sanu reaching for a pass, are eight words: "One's best success comes after their greatest disappointment."

According to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, Andy Dalton hopes that will be the case Sunday afternoon when he and the Bengals face the Saints in their first game since last Thursday's nightmarish 24-3 defeat to the Cleveland Browns.

From the moment he walked into his locker room after the blowout, Dalton's focus was on proving that he and his team were much better than what the nation saw in prime time.

"That's not the kind of player I am, not the kind of offense we are, not the kind of team we are," Dalton said.

As disappointments go, Harvey put it best when he wrote, "no game in Dalton's career went quite like last Thursday's."

Dalton scuffled to a career-low 2.0 passer rating, coming away with a 4.3. His passing yards (86) were down, as were his touchdowns (zero). Meanwhile, his interceptions (three) were up. He set a poor tone on the first drive when he threw an interception on a pass that tight end Jermaine Gresham appeared one step shy of possibly breaking up.

Dalton could have responded positively after that turnover. He didn't. Instead, he kept forcing the issue and putting the ball in the Browns' hands.

"You don't turn the ball over, it gives our team a better chance," Dalton said. "They score 14 points off turnovers. There's so many things that we could have done differently and I could have done differently. But like I said, it was one game, so we can't let it hurt us for the remainder of the season."

How will he try to accomplish that? By maintaining focus and trust, Dalton said.

"You can't lose any confidence," Dalton said. "You can't all of a sudden panic or anything. There's been a lot of good things that have gone on for this team. So hold on to that kind of stuff because you've still got to have a lot of confidence. I mean, that's the best thing you do out on the field, because that's contagious."

Apparently, Dalton has been listening to his offensive coordinator.

Hue Jackson said the same thing Friday when giving his day-after take on the loss. As he put it, amid all the questions about what his offense didn't and couldn't do last week, "the elephant in the room" was that the Bengals had been good offensively at times this year. They needed to get some of that back.

Through the first three games, Dalton had thrown just one interception and hadn't been sacked. The Bengals had a 3-0 record and looked like an elite team. But then their bye week came around, a blowout loss at New England happened, and a seemingly unending stream of injuries took place, as did a stream of interceptions and sacks. Now they sit at 5-3-1 and are in need of a jolt.

"It all starts with the way you're preparing, the way you practice," Dalton said. "So when you get these looks in practice, you've got to hit them. You've got to show everybody that there's going to be big plays out there."

Should fantasy owners have faith in Dalton rebounding?

Yes and no. He will undoubtedly have better games. And he will just as certainly have more clunkers.

As for Sunday, the Sports Xchange suggests the idea of Dalton outdueling Drew Brees in a shootout is almost laughable, so look for the Bengals to try to control the clock with a heavy dose of Jeremy Hill early, but if the defense can't keep Brees and Co. from repeated visits to the end zone, that game plan will go out the window.

And we'll find out which Dalton shows up.