Damien Woody and Jerome Bettis are split on picking who will win Sunday's matchup between the Bills and Bengals in Cincinnati. (0:28)

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals surprised ESPN analyst Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football by suddenly going conservative against the New York Giants.

Down 14-10 with 71 seconds left in the first half, the Bengals allowed the clock to run freely instead of trying to move the ball quickly down the field, prompting Gruden to muse that it was an odd decision for a team with a veteran quarterback.

Do the Bengals tend to follow a conservative pattern in those situations? At the end of the half, more often than not, the answer is yes.

According to ESPN Stats & Information: Since 2011, the Bengals have scored 255 points with less than two minutes remaining in a half, which is fifth-fewest in the NFL and behind only the Rams, Browns, Texans and Chiefs.

Those teams in question have had significantly more issues at quarterback than the Bengals, starting a combined 35 at the position compared to the Bengals' two.

Andy Dalton has 10 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the final two minutes of a half in his career. Of the 24 quarterbacks with 200-plus pass attempts in the final two minutes of a half since 2011, Dalton is the only one who doesn’t have more touchdowns than interceptions. Two of his touchdowns came via Hail Mary passes to A.J. Green.

Coach Marvin Lewis said he makes clear to quarterback Andy Dalton when the Bengals are approaching four-down territory. Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals have scored only 19 points at the end of a half this season, with their only touchdown being Dalton's Hail Mary to Green against the Browns in Week 7.

So why not try more aggressively to score? Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said his main message to Dalton on Monday was to take care of the football, knowing Cincinnati would receive the kickoff to start the third quarter. He also did not want the Giants, with three timeouts, to get the ball back.

"You want to get the clock rolling and make them make a decision," Lewis said. "They had three timeouts and we had one. [Dalton] did a good job giving us an opportunity. He didn’t feel like he could wait, so he dumped it down to Tyler [Eifert]. Tyler didn’t quite get out of bounds, so I had to use the timeout. Now we had a Hail Mary situation, which has worked once in our favor already this year.”

The Bengals also made the decision to punt on fourth-and-inches when trailing 21-20 with 9:09 remaining. Backed up on their own 21-yard line with time left, it seemed to be a fairly easy decision to play it safe.

But as conservative as the Bengals can be at the end of the half, that's not the case in fourth-and-short situations.

"I feel like since I’ve been here, we have been pretty aggressive on fourth downs and gone for certain things," Dalton said. "That’s Marvin’s decision and when he feels like we need to go for it and when not to."

Per ESPN Stats & Info, in the Dalton era, the Bengals have gone for it 46 percent of the time in fourth-and-1 situations, sixth-highest in the NFL. The Bengals pick their spots carefully, and it's tended to work, as their 71.1 percent success rate on fourth-and-1 or less ranks eighth in the NFL.

“The No. 1 thing is your opportunity to make the first down," Lewis said of his decision-making process on fourth-and-1 or less. "It’s the consequences if you don’t make it, where the field position is, the situation in the game, and the time on the clock. They’re all important. The strength of the kicker on both sides matters as well. Field situations and wind are also things you have to take into consideration.”

Lewis said his decisions to go for it on fourth down usually come out of conversations with offensive coordinator Ken Zampese during the week leading up to a game. Conversations also occur with special-teams coordinator Darrin Simmons about whether Mike Nugent is nearing field goal range.

“The only conversation I’ll have in the situation is on second downs," Lewis said. "I tell Ken [Zampese], ‘You have four downs here.’ At that point, we have already talked about it during the week, so if I think we’re going to go four here, I’ll let him know."

If Lewis has already decided it's four-down territory, he'll urge Dalton not to force things early in the drive.

"I say, ‘You’re in four-down territory, get a chunk. Even if it’s third-and-15 from midfield, get a chunk. Give me a decision. Make a positive play and give me a decision on fourth down. Take care of the ball and give me a decision,'" Lewis said. “Andy realizes that. We’ve been blessed, with both Carson [Palmer] and Andy, for them to continue to make positive plays. They don’t just force the football for the sake of throwing the ball. Make a positive play and maybe we get a catch-and-run and we end up fourth-and-1 with an opportunity to go for it ...

"That’s when I’ll say to Ken [Zampese], ‘I’m thinking three or less, or whatever it may be.’ Darrin [Simmons] is letting me know if I’m good or not good [for a field goal attempt]. I’ve already got my yard line anyway in my mind. Darrin will put his input to me, and then we go.”