Cincinnati Bengals Dominate the Miami Dolphins Behind a Joe Burrow Masterpiece

For a solid 30 minutes, Sunday’s clash at Hard Rock Stadium looked like a genuine football game. Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers was slinging it, De’Von Achane was making defenders miss in phone booths, and the Dolphins were actually leading. Then the third quarter happened, and the Cincinnati Bengals decided they were done playing nice.

What followed was a 45-21 dismantling that felt less like a competitive NFL matchup and more like a big brother finally grabbing the controller from his little brother.

A Tale Of Two Halves For the Bengals

The first half was a surprisingly tight affair. Ewers, making his first NFL start, looked poised. He wasn’t perfect, but he was moving the chains and keeping pace with Joe Burrow. When Malik Washington scored on a nifty reverse to put Miami up 14-10, there was a palpable sense of hope in the humid Miami air. Maybe the kid had something. Maybe the Dolphins weren’t dead yet.

That hope lasted exactly until the third quarter kickoff. The Bengals came out of the locker room looking like a completely different beast. They reeled off 28 unanswered points in a blitzkrieg that left fans and the Miami defense spinning. It wasn’t just that they scored; it was how easy they made it look.

Chase Brown Steals the Show

While Burrow was his usual surgical self (309 yards, 4 TDs), the real nightmare for Miami was Chase Brown. The Bengals running back was everywhere. He ran for a score. He caught two more. He probably could have sold popcorn in the stands if he wanted to.

Miami simply had no answer for him. Every time it seemed like the Dolphins might get a stop, Brown would squirt through a gap or slip out of the backfield for a massive gain. He finished with three total touchdowns, essentially single-handedly burying Miami’s hopes of a comeback.

Ewers’ Rookie Reality Check

You have to feel a little bit for Ewers. The rookie was thrown into the fire against a Bengals defense that smelled blood in the water. His first interception was just bad luck—a tipped ball that found its way into the arms of linebacker Barrett Carter. But the second one? That was a “welcome to the NFL” moment, a forced throw down the sideline that Jalen Davis picked off with ease.

Ewers finished 20-of-30 for 260 yards, but the stats lie a little bit. Most of those yards came when the game was already decided. The critical errors in the third quarter are what will haunt him in the film room this week.

What’s Next For the Bengals?

For Cincinnati, this was a statement win, even if it came against a struggling Miami squad. At 5-10, they aren’t making the playoffs, but they sure looked like a contender on Sunday. The offense was humming, the defense was opportunistic, and for a few hours in Miami, everything clicked.

As for the Dolphins? Well, at least the draft pick is getting better. With their second straight losing season clinched, the focus now shifts fully to 2026. But for one sunny afternoon, the Bengals gave them a harsh reminder of just how far away they really are.