CINCINNATI -- Statistically, Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton had one of his worst games ever Monday night in a 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans.
For Dalton, that typically means one thing: It must be November.
Dalton completed 22 of 38 passes for 197 yards, no touchdowns and an interception as the Bengals lost for the first time this season on a cool, damp night at Paul Brown Stadium.
His overall passer rating for the game: a measly 61.
That type of stat line put a blemish on what, thus far, has been the best of Dalton’s five seasons in the NFL.
It also added to the history of roller-coaster ride games he’s played in the month of November.
Bengals fans have seen Dalton at his absolute best — and worst — at or around the midpoint of the regular season.
The interactive chart below shows Dalton's career average passer rating on a month-by-month basis. Click on the bars to see game summaries for a given month.
Dalton’s two highest-rated passing games have come in November — against New Orleanson Nov. 16, 2014, and just 12 days ago against the Cleveland Browns.
But two of his three worst-rated regular-season games have come in the month — on Nov. 10, 2013, against Baltimore, and Nov. 6, 2014, against the Browns (remember the passer rating of 2?).
The same sort of whacky pattern has unfolded this November.
Dalton started the month by completing 23 of 38 passes for 231 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and a 64.7 rating in the Bengals’ narrow 16-10 win at Pittsburgh.
He bounced back in the Bengals’ 31-10 win over the Browns with a jaw-dropping 21-27, 234 yard, three-touchdown performance that earned a 139.8 rating.
Then came Monday night.
On average, Dalton’s passer rating dips to 83.6 for November games. That’s the lowest rating of any regular season month.
The Bengals have won 64.7 percent of their November games during Dalton’s career — the lowest win percentage of any month.
Dalton’s strongest average rating for a month is 97.9 — in September games.
Not surprisingly, the Bengals have won 70.6 percent of their September games, the highest average monthly winning percent during the Dalton era.
Check out Dalton’s stats for different months, and in different passing situations, with WCPO’s interactive database, which details every pass he’s thrown in an NFL regular season or playoff game.
