Andy Dalton is preparing for his eighth season in the NFL as the starting quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals. But it was the final pass he made in 2017, a fourth-down touchdown to Tyler Boyd against Baltimore in Week 17, that so many fans are still talking about.
Cincinnati’s win knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs, and helped the Buffalo Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999, breaking the longest drought in major professional American sports.
The best part of the story, though, came in the aftermath, when Bills fans showed their appreciation by donating more than $450,000 to the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation.
On Sunday morning, Dalton found himself back in Buffalo, first to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony after he and his wife, Jordan, made a donation to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo.
Thank you, Buffalo. #CINvsBUF@jjdalton5 and the @ajdfoundation stopped by @RoswellPark for a ribbon cutting ceremony for their donation of a technology hub (with a surprise appearance from @andydalton14).
But they didn't stop there.
Read more 📰: https://t.co/mLNjI6bjGh pic.twitter.com/B5A5qpMw3X
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 26, 2018
And then before the Bengals’ preseason game against the Bills, Dalton was in uniform as the Buffalo fans gave the Cincinnati quarterback a standing ovation, thanking him for what he did last season.
A standing ovation they’ve been waiting eight months to give.
Buffalo loves you, Andy Dalton! pic.twitter.com/hmC5xzAt9t— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 26, 2018
Dalton appeared on the Sports Spectrum podcast back in March and talked about the response from Bills fans in the aftermath of that victory.
“To have that support from a fanbase that’s not even yours is crazy,” Dalton told us. “But the amount of good that we’re going to be able to do with that money, it’s going to be awesome.”
In the game, Dalton looked like he was ready for the season to start, completing 11 of 16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns after coming out of the game with nine minutes to go in the second quarter. The Bengals beat the Bills 26-13.
Both teams kick off the 2018 regular season on Sept. 9. Buffalo travels to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Cincinnati travels to Indianapolis to take on the Colts.
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