So how exactly did Bengals QB Andy Dalton end up in the Pro Bowl?

Andy Dalton is going to the Pro Bowl!

Well, I guess congratulations are in order. After all, this places the Cincinnati Bengals signal caller in the elite company of Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck, Dallas’ Tony Romo, Denver’s Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, New England’s Tom Brady and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, all of whom were originally named to the roster for Sunday’s game.

Well, actually, Manning, Roethlisberger and Rodgers are all skipping the game because of injury, and Brady can’t go because he’s playing the Super Bowl.

Also unable to attend for various reasons were fellow alternates San Diego’s Philip Rivers (injury), Seattle’s Russell Wilson (Super Bowl) and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco (wife expecting baby).

And if you add in New Orleans’ Drew Brees, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan -- all guys who will be in Arizona as replacements for one of the original six -- that makes Dalton the seventh alternate quarterback for the Pro Bowl, or the 13th asked overall.

Not trying to belittle Dalton. Just explaining how a guy threw for a career-low 19 touchdowns (tied for 17th-best in the NFL), 17 interceptions (tied for third-most) and 3,398 yards (16th) with a completion percentage of 64.2 (12th) and a passer rating of 83.5 (25th) earned such an honor.

Twitter: @chewkiii