Andy Dalton leads Bengals to statement win over Seahawks in overtime

 What if Mike Nugent’s 42-yard field-goal try had bounced off the upright and not between them, and it was the Seattle Seahawks and not the Cincinnati Bengals escaping with an overtime win Sunday? How much would that change our perception of quarterback Andy Dalton's team?

Cincinnati’s veteran left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, knows exactly how it would go: Same old Bengals, same old Andy.

“If we'd have lost this game, it means that we're not fit for the postseason. It's an unfair reality, and it's kind of a joke at this point,” Whitworth told USA TODAY Sports.

“It's 2015. This is the 2015 Bengals, and judge us on that. Judge us on every week, and what we put on the field and how we play.”

There are moments when it plays out to perfection, like on receiver Marvin Jones’ 44-yard catch on the opening drive. Days earlier, Dalton told Jones the exact moment to look for the ball in that route.

“Right when you clear the defender, look back. There will be a hole, and I'll have a chance to dot you,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports, relaying Dalton’s advice. “That's a play that we obviously practiced, and it was open and it worked out.”

That catch set up the Bengals’ first touchdown, a 14-yarder to Eifert. Later, Dalton would find Eifert again in clutch situations — a 10-yard score early in the fourth quarter as the Bengals began their comeback and a 25-yarder amid tight coverage from Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor to help set up the game-tying field goal. Those were gutsy throws, and ones Dalton and his teammates just expect now will be completions.

“We don’t flinch, man. That’s our motto: Don’t flinch,” receiver A.J. Green said.

Dalton’s day wasn’t without flaws. His first-half interception in the end zone led to a Seattle field goal. A botched handoff with running back Rex Burkhead was returned for a Seattle defensive touchdown. It was a gift of 10 points, potentially critical errors against a Seahawks squad that rarely surrenders leads, especially of the 17-point variety.

But Cincinnati proved to be resilient enough to rally, relying on a defense that sacked Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson four times and shut out the Seahawks in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“It’s huge. We played a really good team,” Dalton said. “Seattle’s going to win a bunch of games. Yeah, they’re 2-3 now, but let’s see what their record is at the end of the year.

"This was a big game, because we were facing a good team