W2L4: Bengals Look To Best Andy Dalton, Record First Win of 2024

Bengals (0-3) at Panthers (1-2) Sunday, Sept. 29 at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (Field Turf), 1 p.m. ET, TV: Ch. 19 FOX-WXIX-TV (Cincinnati) Kevin Kugler (PBP), Daryl Johnston (Analyst), Laura Okmin (sideline). Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530.

CINCINNATI — Another week, another chance to get rid of the goose egg in the left-hand column before the season slips into oblivion.

The Bengals look for their elusive first win of the season against their former star quarterback when they visit the Carolina Panthers (1-2) this Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

Andy Dalton replaced embattled quarterback Bryce Young last week and directed Carolina to its best offensive performance of the season, completing 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, giving Dave Canales his first win as an NFL head coach.

“I got a chance to just be me and play and to be out there how I normally am,” Dalton said. “I’m normally pretty calm. I’m normally relaxed. You know, guys were having fun. I was trying to make sure the guys were having fun because you put in a ton of work for this thing, and for you to get out there, it’s like now you get time to just go and enjoy the work that you put in. And they’re not all going to go like this, but when they do, you’ve got to enjoy that.”

Dalton played his first nine seasons in Cincinnati before leaving for Dallas in 2020. In his nine years, he guided the Bengals to the playoffs in his first five and started 2015 with a perfect 8-0 record.

“Total pro, total pro,” said Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who coached Dalton in his first season in Cincinnati in 2019. “I’ll always be grateful to Andy. He led us through a very difficult time, did it the right way, was always really good with me, with giving me feedback, especially as a first-year head coach and all the challenges we faced that year.

Dalton is 2-1 lifetime against the Bengals since being benched by Taylor on his birthday in 2019. With Dallas, Dalton beat Cincinnati in 2020 and beat the Bengals with Chicago in 2021. The Bengals got the better of him in 2022 when he was with New Orleans.

Dalton will have one less weapon for Sunday’s game as star receiver Adam Thielen was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring strain suffered on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Dalton on the last play of the first half in Vegas.

Cincinnati finds itself 0-3 for the first time since 2019, after dropping each of its three games by one possession. The Bengals are coming off a 38-33 loss to Washington at Paycor Stadium on Monday Night Football, the first loss in primetime under Taylor.

“We have to create our own opportunities,” Taylor said. “When you lose three one-score games, no one’s going to give you anything. There’s no gift we’re expecting to receive. We have to go take it. We haven’t done enough really dictating the tempo of the game, collectively — offense, defense and special teams.”

The Bengals had their most productive offensive performance of the season in Week 3, scoring on six of seven drives while totaling 436 net yards. Burrow connected with seven different receivers and finished 29 of 38 for 324 yards and three TDs, good for a season-high passer rating of 127.5.

The Bengals will not have right tackle Trent Brown, out for the season with a torn right patellar tendon. First-round rookie Amarius Mims will make his first NFL start in his place.

This will be just the eighth meeting ever between Cincinnati and Carolina, with the series tied 3-3-1, with the tie game occurring in 2014 at Cincinnati. The Panthers have won three of four against the Bengals in Charlotte.

Here’s what to look for:

• When the Bengals have the ball:

Joe Burrow has looked like his old self in the last two games, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against Washington. As a matter of fact, Burrow has yet to throw a pick in 103 attempts this season. His two TD tosses to Ja’Marr Chase were deadly accurate. The rushing game is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. This is the first time Burrow is facing Jadeveon Clowney for the first time since Week 11 last year when Burrow wrist popped one play after taking a hit from the outside linebacker/edge. Burrow and the offense needs to account for him every time he’s on the field. Nick Scott is Carolina’s free safety. Will the Bengals test him early and often?

• When the Panthers have the ball:

The Bengals face Andy Dalton for the fourth time since he left Cincinnati after 2019. He beat them with Dallas in 2020 and with Chicago in 2021. The Bengals finally got through and beat him in 2022 when the Bengals rallied for a 30-26 win. Diontae Johnson, the former Steeler wide receiver, had a big day last week, with eight catches on 14 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown. Chuba Hubbard, the fourth-round pick in 2021, is a multi-purpose back who caught five passes on five targets for 55 yards and a touchdown while running for 114 yards on 21 carries. Dalton won’t move the pocket like Jayden Daniels but he will get the ball in the hands of players who can force the defense to shift.

• Bottom Line:

If it weren’t for a near-perfect performance from rookie Jayden Daniels ohe night on Monday night and a 4th-and-16 penalty-gifted first down on a pass from Patrick Mahomes, the Bengals would be 2-1 and the season would have a entirely different feel. But the Bengals are what they are. They know there’s really no margin of error over the next three weeks. The Bengals this week have talked about cleaning up the details on defense and getting off the field on third down. The Bengals defense put Joe Burrow in a position where he had to be perfect Monday night, and he was just a tick below. Burrow should be able to have success again, with Higgins potentially having a bigger role than last week. Put Andy Dalton in a position where he’s playing from behind and the offense will follow. Bengals get their first of 2024.

Bengals 31, Panthers 21