Panthers’ Dalton had a ‘tough’ final year with Bengals, but reunion matchup excites him
If Andy Dalton can keep the Panthers competitive throughout the fall, his late-career revival tour will feature matchups against all four of his former teams.
And while games against the Chicago Bears (Oct. 6), New Orleans Saints (Nov. 3) and Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 15) linger down the road, his first home game as the Panthers’ starting quarterback will be Sunday against the team that he has the most history with: the Cincinnati Bengals.
Dalton was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons in Cincinnati before an 0-8 start in 2019 derailed his future with the AFC North franchise.
The 36-year-old quarterback looks back on his time in Cincinnati with a smile, even if that last campaign — under current Bengals head coach Zac Taylor — ended with disappointment.
“It was tough, for sure,” Dalton said about his final season with the Bengals. “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.”
Another reunion rematch with the Bengals for Dalton
While Dalton is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces from his Bengals days, the reunion with Cincinnati is becoming a tradition of sorts. Sunday’s matchup will be the fourth time he’s faced the Bengals in the five years since he left town.
In 2020, Dalton led the Cowboys to a 30-7 win over the Bengals with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns. In 2021, he started for the the Bears in a 20-17 win over the Bengals, completing 9 of 11 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown before leaving due to injury. But, in 2022, while with the Saints, Dalton was finally defeated by Cincinnati in a 30-26 loss, when he was limited to just 162 passing yards and a touchdown.
Both parties are far removed from their shared success together, and QB Joe Burrow has met or exceeded a lot of Dalton’s accomplishments with the Bengals. So, Dalton’s “revenge game” energy isn’t going to be activated this week.
“It’s going to be nice to catch up with them and get to see them,” Dalton said. “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.”
The challenge in facing Logan Wilson, Bengals defense
Dalton threw for 319 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders last week. He probably won’t be able to put up comparable numbers against the Bengals, who are limited teams to just 168 passing yards per game, despite losing three straight to start the campaign.
While Cincinnati’s run defense has been gashed for 142.3 rushing yards per game, the secondary has been stable through three weeks, despite giving up roughly seven yards per pass attempt.
Linebacker Logan Wilson has also been a problem against the pass for some time now.
“He’s a great football player,” Dalton said about Wilson. “And it’s not only in the pass game, it’s in the run game, too. I like he’s getting those guys lined up — he’s had a ton of success since he got there.
“It just means you’ve got to be able to play on time, be smart — be smart with your eyes, know where you’re going with the ball, and be able to make quick decisions. Because if not, that’s when those guys can get involved.”
Still, the Bengals’ opponents are averaging a notable 26.7 points per game.
After putting up 36 points in Las Vegas, Dalton, head coach Dave Canales, and the offense have to feel good about their outlook entering their second home game of the season.
But despite Cincy’s 0-3 record, Dalton says the Panthers know the Bengals will be a tough opponent in Week 4.
“It’s a great team,” Dalton said about Cincinnati. “Their record doesn’t show exactly who they are. Everybody knows what types of players they have over there and the success that they’ve had. So, you can’t take them lightly.”
Injury report: The latest on Damien Lewis, Adam Thielen
The Panthers came out of their Week 3 win over the Raiders with four notable injuries.
On Tuesday, wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) and safety Jordan Fuller (hamstring) were shut down for at least the next four games on injured reserve.
Left guard Damien Lewis (elbow) and safety Lonnie Johnson (groin) were sidelined during the first practice of the week.
“He injured his UCL,” Canales said about Lewis. “They did some assessment of that — they gave us a really broad window for that one. We’re trying to just push him and see we what we can get out of him. See if we can get him back out there, but that’s kind of up in the air.”
The team promoted wideout Jalen Coker and safeties Russ Yeast and Demani Richardson from the practice squad this week. Coker will provide depth at wide receiver with Thielen sidelined, while Yeast and Richardson will fill in for Fuller and Johnson.
If Lewis can’t play on Sunday against the Bengals, second-year lineman Chandler Zavala will most likely fill his spot at left guard. Zavala replaced Lewis against the Raiders and played well in relief.
“Chandler is a guy that brings power inside,” Canales said. “We try to build this offensive line inside out, and so I’m really excited to see Chandler step in and have this opportunity. So excited for him — he’s worked so hard to get himself back to that point, and he’s earned this opportunity.”
Along with Lewis and Johnson, defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (foot), outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (rest) and defensive end A’Shawn Robinson (knee) also missed practice. Tuttle missed Sunday’s win over Las Vegas, while Robinson has been monitoring his injury for a couple of weeks.
Running back Chuba Hubbard (rest) and safety Nick Scott (quad) were listed as limited participants during the workout.
Quick hits
▪ Canales clarified that the current captains on the team are permanent. So, while Bryce Young was demoted and Derrick Brown was ruled out for the rest of the season, their captain tags will not be removed over the next few months. Linebacker Shaq Thompson is only active starter with a captain’s “C” on his uniform. The Panthers have been rotating the special teams captain status on a weekly basis with safety Sam Franklin (foot) on injured reserve.
▪ Speaking of injury lists, Franklin, running back Jonathon Brooks (knee/NFI), outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quad/PUP) and Amare Barno (knee/PUP), cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring/IR), defensive end Jaden Crumedy (foot/IR) and tight end Ian Thomas (quad/IR) are all eligible to be activated from their respective reserve lists after Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
Canales, speaking about Brooks, Wonnum, Barno, Jackson and Crumedy, said that group is progressing well but still has some hurdles left before they can be activated. When one of those players is activated, the player has 21 days to prepare in practice before being moved to the 53-man roster.
▪ The Panthers signed wide receiver Sam Pinckney to the practice squad before Wednesday’s workout. He previously had two stints with the team during the offseason and in training camp. Pinckney played college ball at Coastal Carolina.
▪ Follow The Observer’s Panthers beat reporters, Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) and Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05), and sports columnist, Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler), on “X”, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest news and highlights.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 5:45 PM.
