Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has built an impressive list of superlatives in his first two seasons in the NFL, including:

• First rookie in NFL history to start at least eight wins and throw at least 20 touchdown passes.
• First rookie drafted after the first round to start 16 games.
• First rookie quarterback to throw at least 10 touchdown passes to a rookie wide receiver (A.J. Green).
• Fifth rookie to throw for at least 3,000 yards.
• Third quarterback to throw at least 20 touchdown passes in first two seasons (Dan Marino and Peyton Manning).

But one thing that has eluded Dalton is a victory against Pittsburgh or Baltimore. He is 0-6 against the AFC North Division heavyweights, which happen to be the last two teams standing between the Bengals and a return trip to the playoffs, beginning with Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh.

“We’ve got everything in front of us,” Dalton said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good position to control everything. So these last two games are two big games for us. We’ve got to come out and show what kind of team we are, and there’s not better opponents to do it against than the Steelers and the Ravens.”

In three losses against Baltimore, Dalton is 68 of 126 for 826 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions for a 63.8 passer rating. In three losses to the Steelers, Dalton is 40 of 82 410 yards with four TDs and three INTs with a rating of 64.6.

In the 24 games he has started against the rest of the teams in the league, Dalton is 17-7 with 41 TDs, 20 INTs and a 90.1 rating, including an impressive three-game stretch against the Giants, Chiefs and Raiders in November in which he threw nine touchdowns with no interceptions for a rating of 121.3.

But Dalton has regressed in his last three games, despite winning two of them. He has posted ratings of 65.2, 76.1 and 74.2 against the Chargers, Cowboys and Eagles while throwing three TDs and three INTs while being sacked 12 times.

“We expect to see progress and not regression, and he kind of took a step back,” Gruden said after Thursday’s win at Philadelphia, where Dalton was sacked a season-high six times while losing a pair of fumbles.

“It was very un-Andy-like,” Gruden added. “He missed some throws that he should make, he didn’t throw some throws that he should throw, tried to throw across his body and was almost intercepted. He made some plays that just weren’t up to par. He needs to be more consistent.”

And Dalton knows it.

“I’ve just got to make more plays,” he said. “I’ve had chances, and I haven’t hit them. I expect to play better, and I’m going to play better. I don’t think it’s so much what everybody else is doing, but something that we can just be better as a whole. We know that. We’ve watched everything. Like I said, we’re going to be better.”

They’re going to have to be if they are going to end a five-game losing streak to the Steelers that predates Dalton’s arrival.

Sunday’s contest is, in essence, a playoff game. Cincinnati can clinch at least a wildcard berth with a win, while at the same time eliminating Pittsburgh. And while a loss would not eliminate the Bengals, their fate would no longer be in their own hands.

“There’s really not much else to say except we’ve got to come play our best,” Dalton said. “And we’ve got to do whatever it takes to win the game.”