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Andy Dalton's Sunday ended early after the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback suffered a thumb injury.

Dalton threw a red-zone interception to Stephon Tuitt with five minutes to go in the first quarter and injured himself when he tried to tackle the 6-foot-6, 303-pound Steelers defensive end.

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Dalton was ruled out for the rest of the game and was in a cast by the second quarter. A.J. McCarron took over under center.

The Bengals also lost tight end Tyler Eifert, who had an NFL-leading 12 receiving touchdowns Sunday, to a concussion. Eifert was doubtful to return, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The injuries are unfortunate for the Bengals, but they also make the AFC playoff race that much more interesting. Cincinnati currently is the No. 1 seed in the conference at 10-2, but the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots had the same record going into Sunday's games. The Bengals also have to play the Broncos in Week 16.