How the Bengals have fared against Andy Dalton in past meetings

The Cincinnati Bengals need a win in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. At 0-3, victory is imperative for the Bengals if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. After all, only one team in NFL History -- the 1992 San Diego Chargers -- has rallied to qualify for postseason play after a 0-4 start to the season.

In order to get that much-needed win, the Bengals will have to defeat a familiar face in Andy Dalton, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Bengals and is Cincinnati's all-time leader in touchdown passes.

Since leaving the Bengals, Dalton has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, as well as the Panthers. The Week 4 matchup between the Bengals and Panthers will be Dalton's fourth game against his former franchise, and he has a 2-1 record in his previous meetings with Cincinnati. Here's a look at how Dalton's previous three games against the Bengals have gone.

Game 1: Cowboys vs. Bengals, 2020

Final score: Dallas 30, Cincinnati 7

Dalton stats: 16-of-23, 185 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Dalton's first game against his former franchise came in a Cowboys uniform during the 2020 NFL season. Dalton was filling in for Dallas' starting quarterback Dak Prescott, who was injured at the time. Dalton played well against the team that drafted him and he led the Cowboys to a dominant 30-7 win.

After the game, Dalton admitted that besting the Bengals for the first time was a special moment in his career.

"This one was special," Dalton said. "A lot of range of emotions, from being back in the city, being in the stadium, being on the other side, all that kind of stuff. Good to have the emotion at the end of being very happy that we got this win."

Game 2: Bears vs. Bengals, 2021

Final score: Chicago 20, Cincinnati 17

Dalton stats: 9-of-11, 56 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions

Dalton's second game against Cincinnati came in a Bears uniform during the '21 campaign. He started the game strong, but his action was cut short as he suffered a knee injury during the second quarter of the contest. The Bears went on to win the game, giving Dalton a 2-0 record against his former team as a starter.

Game 3: Saints vs. Bengals, 2022

Final score: New Orleans 26, Cincinnati 30

Dalton stats: 17-of-32, 162 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions

Most recently, Dalton started against the Bengals as a member of the Saints during the 2022 season. The Bengals bested the Saints in the contest to give Dalton his first loss against Cincinnati.

Now, desperate for a win, the Bengals will try to hand Dalton his second consecutive loss against the team that drafted him back in 2011.