Dalton has made life hard for the Bengals with three different teams. Will he make it a fourth on Sunday?
The Cincinnati Bengals are now officially in desperate need of a win this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
To do so, the Bengals must beat former franchise quarterback Andy Dalton.
Dalton was officially named the starting quarterback for the Panthers last week after former first-overall pick Bryce Young was benched.
Dalton then led the Panthers to their first win of the season, dominating the Raiders in Las Vegas.
This is not the first time Dalton and the Bengals have crossed paths since the breakup after the 2019 season, and Dalton is looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be nice to catch up with them and get to see them. When you see Cincy on the schedule — I’ve had it every year except last year. So, it’s always fun to get the opportunity to go up against them,” Dalton said this week, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Dalton also opened up about his exit from Cincinnati following the 2019 season, which was Zac Taylor’s first as the franchise’s head coach.
“It was tough, for sure,” Dalton said. “There were a lot of things that were just hard. And, it’s kind of been similar to how it’s been here, where we felt like we were close in a lot of games, we couldn’t kind of break through and find the wins that we needed to.
“And so, looking back, it’s like I’m thankful for all that I went through that year, and was able to end the season back out there (on the field) and have some success at the end, and accomplish some things that have meant a lot to me. So, it definitely was a tough year, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Dalton is currently 2-1 against Cincinnati, beating the Bengals with the Cowboys and Bears but losing as a member of the Saints. Even in that one win, Dalton had the Saints leading by two scores in the second half before falling in the final minutes.
On Monday night, the Bengals defense was unable to disrupt Jayden Daniels, and the Commanders did anything they wanted on offense.
If Lou Anarumo and the defense are unable to make Dalton uncomfortable, it could be another long day of an opposing QB picking the Bengals apart.
Be sure to read the full Charlotte Observer report for more of Dalton’s thoughts on the Bengals.
