Joe Burrow and the Bengals walked into Miami and delivered the kind of clean, confidence-building win they badly needed.
Cincinnati beat the Dolphins 31-24 on Sunday and never let Miami grab the lead. The Bengals spent most of the second half with a double-digit cushion, snapped a two-game skid, and improved to 3-2 on the season.
Burrow was at the center of it all. He finished 23-of-32 for 190 yards and a season-high four touchdowns, spreading the ball around and keeping the offense moving without a turnover.
On Cincinnati’s opening possession, he hit Mike Gesicki for a 4-yard score. Later, he found Samaje Perine for a 6-yard touchdown to put the Bengals ahead for good.
The passing game kept rolling from there. Tanner Hudson added Cincinnati’s third touchdown of the day, and then Ja’Marr Chase delivered the play of the afternoon in the third quarter. He hauled in a one-handed 45-yard touchdown that helped put the game out of reach.
Chase finished as Cincinnati’s leading receiver with six catches for 77 yards and a score. Erick All chipped in with three receptions for 25 yards, while Tee Higgins had two catches on four targets for 22 yards. Burrow completed passes to nine different Bengals players: four tight ends, two running backs and three wide receivers.
The ground game mattered too. Cincinnati leaned on its shotgun rushing attack and finished with 119 rushing yards.
Perine led the way with 14 carries for 68 yards, plus two catches for 10 yards and a touchdown. Chase Brown added 39 rushing yards on 13 carries, along with three catches for 21 yards, though he also lost a fumble.
On defense, the Bengals settled in after allowing a touchdown on Miami’s first possession. Battle said Malik Willis had a "tell" when throwing the ball, and he made it count with two interceptions. Battle also finished with six tackles and two passes defensed, and he now has three interceptions on the season.
Cincinnati’s defense added one more key takeaway late. The Bengals knocked the ball away from Willis, Jonathan Allen recovered, and that sealed the win. Miami did manage a touchdown in the final minute to trim the margin to single digits, but the outcome was already decided.
Evan McPherson also added another piece of Bengals history, drilling a field goal in the fourth quarter for his 22nd straight make. That broke Shane Graham’s franchise record of 21 consecutive field goals. McPherson is now 9-for-9 this season.
There was still some sloppiness to clean up, especially with penalties and fumbles in the first half, but Cincinnati got what it came for on the road: a much-needed win before the bye. The offense ran the ball well, the defense forced turnovers, and Burrow handled his business without putting the ball in harm’s way.
The Bengals are off in Week 6 and return to action against the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow Made Clear Why This Bengals Win Still Feels Off
Joe Burrow didnt let the Bengals 31-24 win over the Dolphins pass as anything close to a finished product. Even with the result in hand, he framed it as a game that left too much on the table, with Cincinnati aware that a victory can still come with plenty of correction baked in. The timing matters, too, with the bye week offering a brief pause before the AFC North grind tightens up again.
Burrow also highlighted what Cincinnati got from its playmakers, especially JaMarr Chase, who kept pushing through injuries and still came up with a long touchdown grab. Still, the bigger picture around the Bengals is less about one encouraging afternoon than about how cleanly they can play once the next stretch starts, with Baltimore waiting after the break and very little margin for the kind of mistakes that lingered here. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Get Their Reset But One Problem Still Looms Before Baltimore
Cincinnati heads into its bye week with a 3-2 record after hanging on for a 31-24 win over Miami in conditions that tested just about everything a team can bring to South Florida. Joe Burrow delivered four touchdown passes and the offense found enough rhythm to outlast the Dolphins, even if Zac Taylor had plenty to point to afterward as areas that still need cleaning up before the second half of the season really takes shape.
The trip came with the kind of grind that can linger well beyond one Sunday, and Taylor made clear the Bengals felt it after the game. Penalties and other mistakes still popped up in a win that otherwise gave Cincinnati a much-needed reset, but the larger concern now is how refreshed and sharp they can look coming out of the break with Baltimore waiting next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Standouts In Win Could Complicate Their Lineup Decisions
Pro Football Focus latest grades from Cincinnatis 31-24 win over the Dolphins offered a reminder that the box score can only tell part of the story. Even in a victory, the Bengals came away with one of their lower team marks of the season, but there were still plenty of bright spots tucked inside the grading sheet, including strong showings from players who made the most of limited opportunities.
Tanner Hudson stood out on the offensive side, while the defense was paced by a top effort from Boye Mafe. The bigger takeaway for the Bengals may be what those performances mean when the staff starts sorting through snap counts and roles, especially with Chase Brown and Samaje Perine working so closely side by side. When multiple reserves and rotational pieces grade well in the same game, the next lineup call gets a little harder. [Read more 🡒]