Dalton on preseason opener: "It's how you to want to start a game"

The first drive of the Bengals preseason went as smoothly as it could have gone. Crossing off a checklist of receivers, Andy Dalton went 3/3 for 31 yards and 1 touchdown. In the process, he targeted Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu. Sanu was in place for the three yard touchdown pass that gave the Bengals their first score of the preseason.

Afterward, Andy Dalton seemed pleased."We moved the ball well. Completed some balls, we ran well. We did exactly what we wanted to do," he said. "It was a lot better than my first drive my rookie year." Remember his rookie season when Dalton threw a pick while getting hit, all on his first drive as an NFL quarterback?

"It was about six plays, we drove down, scored. It's how you want to start a game and start the season off," Dalton said.

Dalton gave fans something to look forward to when the real action begins in just a few weeks, setting a good tone for the offense. And though the starters didn't play much on offense or defense, what we saw from them gave us reason to be hopeful.

While AJ McCarron sat out during the game with an injury, Josh Johnson got more opportunity to play, going 11 for 21 and netting 175 yards, including a 42-yard pass to Greg Little. Keith Wenning had the lone interception on the evening during the fourth quarter. Wenning went 2/5 for 11 yards.

Of the defense' performance against the Giants, Dalton said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"They did a really good job. There weren't any big plays. They picked up a first down at one point, but then there was a penalty, so they were set back. It's fun to watch our defense play that way."

The Bengals will have about a week and a half and three more training camp sessions before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Monday on Monday Night Football.