Joe Burrow absolutely went off for four touchdown passes on Sunday, carving up the Miami Dolphins defense and leading the Cincinnati Bengals to a 31-24 victory in Miami Gardens. Three of those scores came in the first half, putting the Bengals in a commanding position early against a Dolphins squad that just can’t seem to find a win.
Bengals Blew the Doors Open Early Thanks to Big Plays
The Bengals wasted zero time getting on the board, thanks to a massive special teams play. Dohnte Meyers ripped off an 81-yard kick return just seconds into the game, setting up Burrow for a 4-yard touchdown strike to tight end Mike Gesicki a mere 52 seconds after kickoff. Burrow kept the aerial assault going in the first half, connecting with running back Samaje Perine and tight end Tanner Hudson for two more scores. That early explosiveness helped Cincinnati build an 18-point lead, making it super tough for Miami to even get back into it.
Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis just couldn’t get anything going in the first 29 minutes, completing only one throw as the Bengals kept the pressure on. Willis ended up with just 15 completions on 27 attempts for 137 yards, one score, and two critical interceptions. Bengals safety Jordan Battle was a beast, snagging picks from Willis on two consecutive drives in the second half, totally shifting the momentum back Cincinnati’s way after Miami tried to claw back. Even though the Dolphins actually out-gained the Bengals 331 to 307 in total yards and rushed for more (217 to 117), those three turnovers were the dagger. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen also got in on the action with a sack and a forced fumble.
Dolphins Fought Back, But It Wasn’t Enough
Despite getting shelled early, the Dolphins tried to rally. Ollie Gordon scored their only first-half touchdown on a 1-yard run, and he finished the day with 88 rushing yards. In the second half, Riley Patterson kicked a field goal to get some points on the board for Miami. But then Burrow reminded everyone who he was, launching a 45-yard bomb to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who hauled it in with one hand after it bounced off his shoulder. Chase finished with six catches for 77 yards.
Willis finally found Kevin Coleman Jr. for a 3-yard touchdown pass on the next drive, and then punched in a 1-yard touchdown run himself with less than a minute left to make things interesting. Miami even tried an onside kick, desperate for a miracle, but they couldn’t recover it, sealing their fate. Willis himself admitted the same old story: “Turnovers … all the same stuff. You are inspired by the fight we can put on tape, but you are let down by the results.” It’s rough when you still haven’t held a lead all season.
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor was pretty honest about the win, saying, “It’s hard to win in this league. We’ve certainly been in those games before, where we let them slip away. Credit to Miami, they fought us tooth and nail to the very end.”
With this win, the Bengals move to 3-2 on the season, while the Dolphins fall to a brutal 0-5. Both teams head into a bye in Week 6, which probably feels very different for each locker room. Joe Burrow might have dropped four TDs, but even he knows they gotta tighten things up, saying, “If we want to be the team we think we’re going to be, we’ve got to be better than that.” It’s a statement that shows the Bengals are eyeing something bigger, and they know they still have work to do when they come back from their bye.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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