LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Andy Dalton remembers how strange it felt playing against the Bengals. That the game was in Cincinnati made it that much more emotional for the veteran quarterback.
"It was cool for me, though, because they received me well," Dalton said Wednesday. "My wife and I, we poured a lot into the city, into the community, into the organization and everything. I was well received."
Dalton goes against the Bengals for the second time in as many years when they visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday. And this one figures to be a little less emotional than when he faced them last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
"I kind of got that out of the way last year, and now I'm just focused on doing what we can to win the game," he said.
The Bears are looking to bounce back from a season-opening, 34-14 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles. The defense got picked apart by Matthew Stafford, and Dalton did little to quiet the calls for prized rookie Justin Fields.
He gets another chance, and beating the Bengals again, as he did last season, wouldn't hurt.
"Andy has obviously been playing at a high level for a long time," Bengals Coach Zac Taylor said. "He's a smart player and is going to put his team in a great position to do really good things, so we certainly have our work cut out for us."
Dalton's return to Cincinnati was one of the highlights of his lone season in Dallas. He threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-7 romp.
It was a sweet win for a quarterback who made three Pro Bowls in nine seasons with the Bengals. He led them to the playoffs his first five years after they drafted him out of TCU in the second round in 2011, but he never won a postseason game. He was released after Cincinnati drafted Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.
Dalton signed with Dallas as a backup, then wound up making nine starts with Dak Prescott suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. The Cowboys finished 6-10 and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Dalton was the face of the franchise in Cincinnati and holds most of the team's passing records. The warm reception he got in his return stands in contrast to the one he has received in Chicago.
For fans hoping the Bears would swing a blockbuster trade for Seattle's Russell Wilson, Dalton's arrival in March on a one-year, $10 million deal was a letdown. They got a jolt of excitement when General Manager Ryan Pace traded up nine spots with the New York Giants to draft Ohio State star Fields with the No. 11 pick.
For now, Dalton's the starter. For how much longer remains to be seen.
NFL schedule
Today's Game All times Central
NY Giants at Washington, 7:20 p.m.
Sunday's Games
Buffalo at Miami, noon
Cincinnati at Chicago, noon
Denver at Jacksonville, noon
Houston at Cleveland, noon
LA Rams at Indianapolis, noon
Las Vegas at Pittsburgh, noon
New England at NY Jets, noon
New Orleans at Carolina, noon
San Francisco at Philadelphia, noon
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 3:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Dallas at LA Chargers, 3:25 p.m.
Tennessee at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.
Kansas City at Baltimore, 7:20 p.m.
Monday's Game
Detroit at Green Bay, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 23
Carolina at Houston, 7:20 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 26
Arizona at Jacksonville, noon
Atlanta at NY Giants, noon
Baltimore at Detroit, noon
Chicago at Cleveland, noon
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, noon
Indianapolis at Tennessee, noon
LA Chargers at Kansas City, noon
New Orleans at New England, noon
Washington at Buffalo, noon
Miami at Las Vegas, 3:05 p.m.
NY Jets at Denver, 3:05 p.m.
Seattle at Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay at LA Rams, 3:25 p.m.
Green Bay at San Francisco, 7:20 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 27
Philadelphia at Dallas, 7:15 p.m.