A week after beating 36-year-old Matthew Stafford, the Bears are looking forward to facing 36-year-old ex-Bears quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday at Soldier Field against the Panthers.
But they’re also appropriately wary. The Bears know facing an aging, less-mobile veteran presents opportunity — it paid off when pressure forced Stafford into a game-clinching interception. But they also know a quarterback like Dalton doesn’t need much of an opening to turn back the clock.
“The experience factor is huge,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “It’s always a big challenge because of what they’ve seen [and] what they’ve done and Andy’s no different.”
The Bears saw both sides of that coin last season against the Browns and veteran Joe Flacco, who was playing for injured starter Deshaun Watson. The Bears intercepted Flacco three times — including Tremaine Edmunds’ return for a touchdown. But Flacco also passed for 374 yards and two touchdowns, including completions of 31 and 34 yards to tight end David Njoku in the final three minutes en route to a field goal that beat the Bears, 20-17.
Dalton, who started six games for the Bears in 2021, replaced former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young in Week 3 against the Raiders in Las Vegas. He threw for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 123.6 passer rating in a 36-22 victory. He wasn’t quite as sharp against the Bengals last week, throwing for 220 yards and two touchdowns for an 83.3 rating in a 34-24 loss to his former team. But he’s still got it.
“He’s getting the ball out a lot faster,” said Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings, who played his first three seasons in the NFL with Dalton in Cincinnati. “We’re gonna have to have rush-and-coverage work together. Anybody who’s been in the league that long can read defenses, so we have to do a good job of disguising and switching things up on him.”
Taylor honored
Bears rookie punter Tory Taylor was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he averaged 55.4 yards on six punts (48.0 net) including three punts inside the 10-yard line in the victory over the Rams.
Taylor is the Bears’ first special teams winner since Cairo Santos in 2022 after making 4 of 4 field goals against the Patriots. He’s the first Bears punter to win the award since Brad Maynard in 2007.
“It’s pretty special [but] I think we’re all chasing something a little bigger than that,” said Taylor, a fourth-round draft pick from Iowa. “I’m the one going out there and kicking the ball, but I can’t do it without the other 10 guys doing their job, too. I’m really appreciating them, especially Scott [Daly] snapping me the ball and Black [Josh Blackwell and Jay [Jaylon Jones] running down there to make a tackle or cause fair catches.”
Injury report
Left guard Teven Jenkins (bruised ribs), wide receiver DeAndre Carter (ribs), defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and cornerback Terell Smith (hip) did not practice Wednesday.
Tight end Cole Kmet (knee) and defensive end Montez Sweat (ankle) were limited. Defensive end Jacob Martin, who is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, will remain on IR.
Jenkins suffered his injury after 11 snaps against the Rams. Right guard Matt Pryor moved to left guard, with Nate Davis coming off the bench to play in Pryor’s spot at right guard. But Eberflus would not commit to that lineup against the Panthers on Sunday, if Jenkins cannot play.
“We’re hopeful [Jenkins] comes back,” Eberflus said. “It’s a day-to-day thing.”