Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton doesn't believe he could have scripted a better visit to Buffalo on Sunday.

The donation he made to Buffalo's Roswell Park Cancer Institute to open the day was special. The two standing ovations he received from Bills fans before the preseason game were chilling.

And Dalton was able to keep his emotions in check on the first snap from scrimmage to hit John Ross for a 57-yard touchdown pass in leading the Bengals to a 26-13 victory.

"It was a good day. I think the way it started was the best part Calvin de Haan Jersey Kids ," Dalton said. "The game went well, too."

The Bills could not say the same about their offense, and a three-way quarterback competition that remains unsettled.

Rookie Josh Allen struggled in his first preseason start , while getting little protection from an offensive line that allowed five sacks in the first half alone. He finished 6 of 12 and was sacked for more yards (39) than he had passing (34).

"I didn't do a good enough job getting the ball out on time," the first-round pick said. "I've got to do a better job, but there's a lot to learn from."

Dalton eased whatever concerns the starters raised with their sputters in last week's 21-13 win at Dallas by producing three scoring drives 鈥?two touchdowns and a field goal 鈥?over five series against the Bills.

Dalton finished 11 of 16 for 180 yards and two touchdowns 鈥?including a 14-yarder to A.J. Green 鈥?to celebrate the warm reception he received in Buffalo nine months after playing a key role in the Bills making the playoffs and ending a 17-year playoff drought.

It happened in the final minute of the season finale against Baltimore on New Year's Eve. Dalton's 49-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Tyler Boyd sent the Bengals to a 31-27 win, and eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention.

Bills fans responded immediately by making over $450 Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey ,000 to Dalton's charitable foundation.

"It's a crazy story, and it's been fun to be on this side of it," Dalton said. "The best part is all the money that was raised."

Buffalo's offense continues to raise concerns two weeks before opening the regular season at Baltimore.

Allen generated just three first downs before being forced out of the game in the final minute of the first half. He was escorted off the field to be evaluated for a possible concussion after being tackled by Carlos Dunlap in the end zone.

Though Allen was cleared to return, he stayed on the sideline while Nathan Peterman finished the game.

This was a week after the starters went three-and-out in four series and starter AJ McCarron was sacked once and hit several other times before being sidelined with an injury to his right throwing shoulder in a 19-17 win at Cleveland.

"It's disappointing," Bills coach Sean McDermott said. "We're going to make sure we're helping him with protection and catching the football and not beating ourselves with penalties. Let's just start there."

SACK ATTACK

Linebacker Carl Lawson had 2 1/2 of the Bengals five sacks in the first half, and nearly had an interception. He was in position to pick off Allen's underthrown pass up the right sideline only to have tight end Charles Clay break it up.

PETERMAN TIME

The Bengals led 23-0 before the Bills mounted a comeback with two scores late in the third quarter.

Peterman hit Jason Croom for a 17-yard touchdown, and then Travaris Cadet scored on a 1-yard run on a drive set up by Rafael Bush intercepting Bengals backup Matt Barkley's pass. Peterman finished 16 of 21 for 200 yards Justin Williams Jersey , and upped his preseason total to 33 of 41 for 432 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

WELCOME BACK

Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert had one catch for 11 yards while targeted three times in making his preseason debut. The Bengals' 2013 first-round draft pick is coming off back surgery and was limited to playing just two games last year.

INJURIES

Bengals: Left tackle Cordy Glenn stood on the sideline, but did not return after hurting his right shoulder in the first quarter. Coach Marvin Lewis said Glenn was fine. Guard Christian Westerman (back) and running back Jarveon Williams (left knee) did not return.

Bills: Backup linebacker Julian Stanford did not return after hurting his nose in the first half. RB LeSean McCoy (hip/groin) and left tackle Dion Dawkins (hip) did not play after being injured in practice this week.

ANTHEM UPDATE

The Bengals stood together along the sideline except for Dunlap, who stood on the field at the 45 with his hand on his chest. No member of the Bills appeared to protest.

UP NEXT

Bengals: Host Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

Bills: At Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

A former New Orleans Saints cheerleader has filed a discrimination complaint against the NFL team with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Bailey Davis’ case was detailed in a New York Times article on Sunday. It says she was fired after posting a photo of herself to her private Instagram account. It showed her in an outfit that the Saints said violated team rules against its cheerleaders appearing nude, seminude or in lingerie. The Times also says the team was looking into whether she attended a party attended by Saints players – a rule violation Davis denies.

Her EEOC complaint states the team has two sets of rules: one for the cheerleaders, who are all women; another, for the players.

The New York Times report said the Saints anti-fraternization policy requires cheerleaders to avoid contact with players, in person or online Elias Lindholm Jersey , even though players are not penalized for pursuing such engagement with cheerleaders. The cheerleaders must block players from following them on social media and cannot post photos of themselves in Saints gear. The same rules don’t apply to players, the report said.

”If the cheerleaders can’t contact the players, then the players shouldn’t be able to contact the cheerleaders,” said Sara Blackwell, Davis’s lawyer. ”The antiquated stereotype of women needing to hide for their own protection is not permitted in America and certainly not in the workplace.”

A team lawyer said in an email to the newspaper that Davis was not subjected to gender discrimination.

”The Saints organization strives to treat all employees fairly, including Ms. Davis,” Leslie A. Lanusse Tyler Johnson Jersey , a lawyer who is representing the Saints, said in an email. ”At the appropriate time and in the appropriate forum, the Saints will defend the organization’s policies and workplace rules. For now, it is sufficient to say that Ms. Davis was not subjected to discrimination because of her gender.”

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