Cincinnati Bengals guard Andrew Whitworth has defended teammate and quarterback Andy Dalton from recent criticism and downplayed the seriousness of the situation.

Dalton has a completion percentage of around 50% and a touchdown to interception ratio of 2:6, with the Bengals losing two of their last four games by a combined score of 51-3.

"I don't think he's at a critical point," Whitworth said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"He's played a lot of good football. He himself said he didn't play his best. We all have games like that. He's a guy that at the end of the day, his character and who he is will always prevail in the end. He'll find a way to fix what he needs to fix and do better because it means the world to him."

Despite Dalton's recent struggles, Cincinnati - on 5-3-1 - currently sit second in the AFC North but they trail rivals the Cleveland Browns who sit top of the standings with a 6-3 record.