The Cincinnati Bengals are hitting the road to take on the New Orleans Saints this weekend. Cincinnati will be facing old friend Andy Dalton as Jameis Winston is still working his way back from injury.
Dalton spent nine seasons with the Bengals after being selected by Cincinnati in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Saints’ HC Dennis Allen said QB Andy Dalton will start Sunday vs. Bengals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 14, 2022
The former TCU standout was released by the Bengals in early 2020 after the franchise selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick.
As you can imagine, there’s been plenty of Dalton talk this week (oddly enough, this will be Dalton’s third straight year of starting against the Bengals after being released).
One comment about Dalton this week came across as bizarre and contradictory.
According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, a Bengals coach (unclear if it was head coach Zac Taylor) said Andy Dalton should be a starter in the NFL before noting that he handled Cincinnati’s 2-14 season in 2019 as well as anyone could’ve.
Bengals coach said Saints QB Andy Dalton is a starter in this league. Said Dalton handled Cincinnati’s 2-win season in 2019 as well as any human could.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 14, 2022
Maybe it’s just me, but I saw that tweet and immediately laughed out loud.
The phrases “should be an NFL starter” and “2-14” don’t really go together that well.
Especially when two years later the Bengals went to the Super Bowl with healthy Joe Burrow.
But this week, of course, all that matters is what happens on Sunday. And the Bengals desperately need a win.
Playing in the Superdome is never easy. But Burrow, who spent the final two seasons of his college career at nearby LSU, has plenty of experience there (he won a natty in the Superdome).
And I certainly like his odds of leading his team to victory more than Dalton’s odds.
