We don’t know if Andy Dalton will be starting against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but it’s worth noting he’s done it before. The New Orleans Saints backup quarterback has received first-team reps twice this week in relief of Jameis Winston, who has been managing a couple of different injuries. Winston will have one more chance to practice on Friday ahead of kickoff. It’s really tough to see him starting on Sunday without having taken any reps throughout the week.
So what happened the last time Dalton and Cousins squared off in London? They played against each other back in 2016 at Wembley Stadium, with Cousins leading Washington and Dalton quarterbacking the Cincinnati Bengals. And it was a bit of a firefight.
Washington took an early lead into halftime, but the Bengals rallied with a touchdown pass from Dalton to open the third quarter. The teams traded lead changes three times in the second half, with Cousins getting deep into Cincinnati territory late in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal and help force overtime. But neither team could seal the deal, and the day ended in a rare 27-27 tie that left a lot of players, coaches, and fans on both sides dumbfounded — no, there isn’t a second overtime period in the NFL.
Dalton finished the game with an 81.8 quarterback rating, having completed 27 of 42 attempts to gain 284 yards while throwing a touchdown pass and an interception. He lost 21 yards to 3 sacks and lost a fumble but picked up 21 rushing yards on 4 carries, scoring a touchdown run on one of them. So it was a bit of a mixed bag.
As for Cousins: he completed 38 of 56 attempts for a career-high 458 yards and 2 touchdown passes, also tossing an interception and losing 12 yards on a sack. That made for a 97.2 quarterback rating, and he wasn’t a presence on the ground, having lost yards on a few procedural kneeldowns late in regulation.
So does this mean anything? Not really. Dalton’s 2016 Bengals team is not his current Saints team (and he may not even start on Sunday). That’s true for Cousins and the Vikings, too. And this game is being played an hour away at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, not Wembley. Plus, now everyone involved knows that, yes, NFL games can end with a tie. Let’s hope that doesn’t come up again on Sunday.
