The Bengals head to South Florida on Sunday carrying a two-game losing streak, and the issues have been hard to miss. Injuries have piled up, turnovers have come at the wrong time, and the defense has too often failed to get off the field on third down.
This week, Cincinnati has been in the meeting room and on the practice field sorting out a plan for Malik Willis and the Dolphins’ offense. On Thursday, Jordan Battle gave a glimpse of one thing the defense has picked up from the film.
Battle said Willis gives away a little tell before he throws, and Cincinnati plans to use it to its advantage.
“He has a little slight little tap before every throw, so I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball. He likes to tap the ball before he throws it, or he takes his hand off, and that that gives the read the break,” Battle said.
It’s the kind of detail defenses love to find on tape, even if mentioning it out loud gives the other side a chance to clean it up before Sunday.
Battle also pointed to Willis’ legs as a major concern, and that’s where Cincinnati’s attention may matter most. The Bengals have struggled in the moments when they need to get off the field, and Battle said they have to stay locked in against a quarterback who can extend drives.
“He’s obviously dangerous with his feet. We know we got to be alert for that.
Third and longs, they will run quarterback draws, and in the passing game, he will extend plays. So we got to be good downfield.
DBs are plastering, so we got to be alert for that. He will take chances.
We just got to be on, be alert on guys where they line up, Battle continued.
Cincinnati has clearly spent the week studying Willis closely, and the question now is whether the Bengals can turn those observations into stops on Sunday before he has a chance to adjust.
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For Cincinnati fans, the most relevant nugget sits on the other side of that DFS conversation, where Brown is drawing notice as a running back play with a favorable setup against Miami. The Dolphins have been a soft spot for backs all season, and the case for Brown rests on volume, scoring chances and the kind of offensive environment that can turn a steady workload into a big fantasy day. The only real question is how aggressive managers want to get in a spot that looks inviting, but still leaves room for one more surprise. [Read more 🡒]