Andy Dalton done for the season as disastrous month continues for Bengals

The month of November has been an ugly one for the Bengals and things officially went from bad to worse on Monday, with the team announcing that Andy Dalton has been placed on injured reserve in a move that will end his season.

The Bengals starting quarterback went down during the third quarter of Cincinnati's 35-20 loss to the Browns on Sunday. On the fourth play of the second half, Bengals center Billy Price sent a shotgun snap sailing over Dalton's head. As Dalton attempted to jump on the ball, the knee of Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah came crashing down on his right hand.

After the play, Dalton was examined on the sideline, before eventually being taken to the Bengals locker room.

Andy Dalton was in some pain after trying to recover a fumble against the Browns. CBS Sports/NFL Game Pass

Following the game, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis actually sounded optimistic about the prognosis of the injury.

"On first look and everything it's not (serious) but they're going to do some further tests," Lewis said, via ESPN.com.

Lewis spoke to the media again on Monday, and this time, he didn't sound as optimistic. During his press conference, the Bengals coach said Dalton would have to undergo more tests so the team could determine the severity of the injury. The move to injured reserve means that Dalton's season is definitely over.

The loss of Dalton continues a disastrous month for the Bengals. When November started, the Bengals were sitting at 5-3 and looked like a serious contender for an AFC wild-card spot. However, over the past three weeks, the Bengals have lost three straight games, not to mention, A.J. Green hasn't been on the field for a single snap during the month due to a toe injury that he suffered in Week 8.

The Bengals have been ravaged by injuries this year with multiple players missing games, including Green, Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard, John Ross and Vontaze Burfict.

With Dalton out, the Bengals will now turn to Jeff Driskel, who will almost certainly be making his first career start this week when the Bengals host the Broncos on Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS, stream on CBS All Access or stream on fuboTV (try for free). Driskel, who was originally selected by the 49ers during the sixth-round of the 2016 NFL Draft, has been with the Bengals since 2017. The 25-year-old was elevated to backup quarterback this season after AJ McCarron left in free agency.

Although he hasn't played much this season, Driskel did see some serious action after Dalton went down against Cleveland. During his short time on the field, Driskel threw for 155 yards and a touchdown.

With Driskel now starting, the Bengals signed quarterback Tom Savage on Monday to serve as his backup.

This will mark only the second time that Dalton hasn't made it through an entire season in his eight-year career. The 31-year-old quarterback hasn't missed a game since 2015 when he also missed time due to a right thumb injury that he suffered after a Bengals turnover.

The injury to Dalton could make for an interesting offseason in Cincinnati, especially if Driskel plays well down the stretch. The Bengals can get out of Dalton's contract after this year. If they were to cut him during the offseason, the move wouldn't cost the Bengals anything because there's no more dead money left in his contract after 2018.

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