Jeff Hafley has spent the first month of his Miami Dolphins tenure trying to steady a team that hasn’t won yet, and Sunday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals looks like his cleanest path to changing that.
The record says 0-4. The bigger picture says Miami has been buried by the schedule, with opponents that are a combined 15-1. But this matchup gives Hafley a real chance to show what he can do with a roster that has kept fighting for him, and with a Bengals team coming in after back-to-back losses and dealing with injuries all over the place.
The most obvious opening for Miami is Cincinnati’s receiving group. The Bengals will likely be without Ja’Marr Chase, who is dealing with a concussion, and Tee Higgins, who has an adductor injury. That leaves Joe Burrow working with a thinner group, and Hafley’s background in secondary play could matter here more than usual.
Hafley doesn’t usually lean on a pile of exotic looks, but even a wrinkle or two could create problems for a young Bengals receiver room. Rookie first-round pick Chris Johnson has held up well on the boundary and in the slot, and Miami may have a chance to muddy things up with coverage disguise.
Week 4 already showed how fragile Cincinnati can look when timing slips. A miscommunication between Burrow and Mitch Tinsley led to a red-zone interception in the Bengals’ 22-17 loss to the Jaguars.
Burrow and Tinsley have logged some reps together, but not enough quality ones to erase the concern. Last season, Tinsley caught only eight of 24 targets.
Dohnte Meyers has also flashed, but he’s still inexperienced in the NFL. That gives Hafley a lane to make life uncomfortable for Cincinnati’s young wideouts, force hesitation, and maybe steal a turnover. In a league where the turnover battle so often decides everything, that’s the kind of edge Miami needs.
The Bengals’ ground game also gives Miami a place to lean in. Cincinnati has run for fewer yards this season than only Hafley’s former team, the Green Bay Packers. Chase Brown has struggled badly at creating yards after contact, and Samaje Perine hasn’t provided much more.
That matters because Miami has been solid against the run, allowing just 3.6 yards per carry. It also sets up the Dolphins to pressure a Cincinnati pass protection unit that has already been stretched thin. In Week 4, the Bengals had to send Joe Burrow back more than 50 times, and right guard Dalton Risner is dealing with a nagging knee injury that had him visibly limping last Sunday.
Orlando Brown Jr. is another spot Miami can target. Burrow’s blind-side protector hasn’t looked like the player who made four straight Pro Bowls, the last coming in 2022, and his level has dropped over the last few seasons in Cincinnati. On the inside, left guard Dylan Fairchild is also worth attacking after committing two costly penalties last week, including one that wiped out a touchdown.
That’s where Hafley can really let the game plan breathe. Expect stunts aimed at Josh Uche and Zach Sieler to put pressure on Brown and Fairchild and force Cincinnati’s front to sort things out on the fly.
There’s also a coaching edge here. Zac Taylor is under real heat in Cincinnati, with three straight missed playoffs hanging over him. A loss that drops the Bengals to 2-3 before their Week 6 bye would be a rough turn.
Hafley, by contrast, has the kind of runway that lets him coach with a little more freedom. No one is calling for his job after four losses, and that kind of leash can matter.
He’s also faced a brutal opening stretch. Week 1 brought Klint Kubiak, who just won a Super Bowl in Seattle before taking the Raiders’ job.
Then came Kyle Shanahan. After that, Miami saw two of the league’s top coach-defensive coordinator pairings in Andy Reid-Steve Spagnuolo and Kevin O’Connell-Brian Flores.
Zac Taylor and Al Golden don’t bring that same level of fear. So if Hafley is going to out-coach someone early in this season, this is the spot.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Be Missing A Key Passing Game Piece Again
Caleb Douglas has been stuck on the sideline since Week 2 with an ankle injury, and the Dolphins still have not gotten him back onto the practice field. Head coach Jeff Hafley said Wednesday that Douglas was out but improving, which at least keeps the door open for a return soon even if the timeline remains murky.
Miami could use the help. The offense has been fighting for rhythm without Douglas, with the passing game producing limited receiving yards and passing touchdowns through the first four weeks. For a unit looking to find more consistent answers through the air, his recovery has become another important subplot to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Still Waiting On Kenneth Grant's Week 5 Reality
Kenneth Grant has taken the first real step toward getting back on the field for Miami, opening his 21-day return window and getting back to practice with the team. For a Dolphins defense that could use another body inside, his comeback is about more than simply filling a roster spot. It gives Miami a chance to add some much-needed versatility to the defensive tackle rotation if the recovery keeps moving in the right direction.
For now, though, Week 5 remains unsettled. Jeff Hafley said Grants activation and playing status will depend on how he continues to respond, and no call has been made yet on whether he will suit up. Miami does have one open roster spot available, so the path is there, but the timing still matters, and the Dolphins are waiting to see whether Grant is ready soon enough to matter this week. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Will Need To Check This Weeks Unusual TV Setup
The Dolphins second home game of the 2026 season brings a familiar AFC opponent to Hard Rock Stadium, but the TV setup is a little different from what viewers around South Florida are used to. Miami will host the Bengals on FOX, with Eric Collins, Mark Schlereth and Jen Hale handling the broadcast because the networks regular crew is tied up elsewhere.
For fans trying to find the game, the wrinkle is distribution: this one is being carried regionally, with the Dolphins-Bengals matchup shown in southern Florida and the Cincinnati area while other NFL games are spread across different networks and time slots around the state. For Miami supporters, it means a quick check of the local listings before kickoff instead of assuming the usual Sunday afternoon slot will sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]