By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Miami Dolphins vs Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday – September 29 – 7:15 p.m.
TV: Prime Video
Paycor Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
Records Before the Game
Miami Dolphins 3-0, 1-0 Away
Cincinnati Bengals (1-2, 0-1 Home)
The Dolphins have been the surprise team of the season. They struggled down the pike of last season’s schedule and made adjustments to their roster. The Bengals played in last year’s Super Bowl and everyone thought that they would repeat in the AFC. As of right now the Bengals have only one win and a pair of losses while the Dolphins are undefeated. Let’s take a look at this week’s Thursday Night Football match up.
A Tale of Two Quarterbacks
Last season Joe Burrow lit up the NFL with his cool disposition under center for the Bengals. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Miami’s signal caller Tua Tagovailoa struggled to get his team in playoff position. He has the talent but didn’t pan out the way experts thought. There’s been a role reversal. This game would either prove that Miami’s quarterback is the real deal or Joe Burrow was just a one hit wonder.
Miami Dolphins
Miami has bolstered its roster to fit Tua Tagovailoa passing style by adding wide outs Cedric Wilson, Tyreek Hill and Freddie Swain. The Miami quarterback is leading the league in passing yards, touchdowns and passing percentage. The running game is led by Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. We as fans put a lot of emphasis on offenses scoring a bunch of points, but the defense is only giving up 21 points per game. The defense will be the x factor Miami this weekend.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have looked like a bunch of guys who just met in the parking lot for a pick-up game. Quarterback Joe Burrow has been hit or sacked on 41% of his drop backs this year. The running game has to wake up and get the ball down the field to move the chains. The Bengals are averaging 86 rushing yards over the last three games and in order for the offense to get moving they need to establish the run. The x factor for the Bengals this week will be running back Joe Mixon.
Prediction
ESPN has the Bengals with a 75.3% chance of winning at home. I love picking teams that I think has a chance. I’m taking the Bengals by 7! The over/under is 47, so take the over!
Final Score
Bengals – 31
Dolphins – 24
