Dalton: Bout with COVID-19 'hit me hard'

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton opened up about his experience with COVID-19 on Thursday as he prepares to make his return Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

"The COVID, it hit me hard the first day I had it, then it gradually started feeling better," said Dalton, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. "By the end of it, I was ready to get out of quarantine and get back up here."

Dalton also revealed he hasn't regained his sense of smell or taste.

The ex-Cincinnati Bengals standout has endured a tough stretch. Dalton's COVID-19 diagnosis came directly after he suffered the first concussion of his career on a late shot to the head by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic in Week 8.

Dalton missed the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9 due to his concussion and then was sidelined for the defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

"It was a little frustrating," Dalton said. "You miss the one game because of the concussion, first time dealing with that, and then the COVID. It's like, it all kind of hit at once. I wish I could have been out there. I wish I could have played in the two games that I missed."

Despite dropping to 2-7 amid a four-game losing streak, Dallas is still in the running for the NFC East title. The 3-5-1 Eagles lead the division, and Dalton is focused on chasing them down and securing a playoff berth.

"Everything is out in front of us," Dalton said. "That's the crazy thing with how this season has gone. Some games we feel like we have had chances in. All of that stuff doesn't matter at this point. Now we have to move forward. We have to think about these next seven games, and that is all our focus is - what we have in front of us."