Is Cowboys QB Dalton A 'Ravens-Killer'?
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Andy Dalton played some of the best games of his career against the Ravens when he was the quarterback for the Bengals.
In one of his most memorable games, Dalton threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds that gave Cincinnati a 31-27 victory that knocked Baltimore out of the playoffs in 2017.
Dalton returns to M&T Bank Stadium in Week 13 as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, a team looking to recapture some of that past magic.
"We’ve played him quite a bit. We’ve had a lot of experience," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He’s had a lot of experience against us, so I think that probably helps him as well. So, there are pluses there both ways. The offense is a unique offense to him, but they also are smart, and they tailor it to him. They do a lot of the things that he does well; they’ve built those things into their offense, as well. So, it’s both.”
Countered Dalton: "They're really good on third down. They got a good rush, good scheme with all the pressures that they bring. So, you have to stay ahead of the chains. Historically, the Baltimore defense has been really good.''
Dalton has gone 8-8 over his career against the Ravens, throwing for 21 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
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Cincinnati selected Dalton with its second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft from TCU. He threw for more than 31,000 yards with 204 touchdowns and 118 interceptions over nine seasons with the Bengals.
Dalton was released prior to the 2020 season and he signed a one-year, $7 million deal to back up Dak Prescott in Dallas. In Week 5, Dalton took over as the starter when Prescott went down with a season-ending ankle injury and the results have been mixed
Dalton has thrown for 870 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.
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“I clearly would recognize Andy has the most experience playing against Baltimore," Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. "With that, Baltimore is very well-coached. They have excellent, excellent players [and] a lot of excellent veteran leadership. So, you know you’re going to be challenged in all three areas – offense, defense, and special teams.
"We recognize that, but Andy is having a really good week of preparation. [He] clearly has a very good understanding of their ability to change, the multiplicity of their defense, and really, the challenge that it brings to us offensively.”
The 3-8 Cowboys are challenged in many ways here as they prep for the Tuesday night meeting at 6-5 Baltimore. Not having first-team QB Dak Prescott available, as he's out for the season, is part of that challenge.
It's Dallas' hope that Andy Dalton - and the fact he knows his way around Baltimore - is part of the solution.
"Everything is still out in front of us,'' Dalton said. "So, for us, we got to worry about us. We got to worry about what we can control, and that's going to be these next five games. And we handle our business, and we'll see how this whole thing shakes out.''
