Dolphins’ Defensive Unit Responsible for Bengals Loss

Dolphins’ Defensive Unit Responsible for Bengals Loss

The Miami Dolphins’ offensive attack isn’t to blame for the shellacking the team received from the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Rookie Quinn Ewers racked up 260 passing yards in his first NFL start and played about as well as one could hope from a seventh-round pick. Plus, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane were their usual effective selves in the air and on the ground.

Rather, a cataclysmic showing from Miami on the defensive end — maybe it’s the worst of the season so far — was responsible for the squad’s second loss in a row and ninth of the campaign. Over the course of their four-game winning streak that came to an end earlier this month, the Dolphins allowed 53 points combined — they gave up nearly that many points on Sunday alone.

Miami’s defense relinquished a season-high 45 points and got torn apart by quarterback Joe Burrow, who enjoyed a major bounce-back performance after he laid an egg in a Dec. 14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He looked a lot like the quarterback who finished tops in the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns last season and threw for four touchdowns without tallying a single pick.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t an inability to stop the run game that killed the Dolphins this time. Miami actually did a good job keeping the Bengals in check in that regard, as Cincinnati barely mustered over 100 rushing yards, and running back Chase Brown led the way for the opposition with 66 of those yards. Instead, it was the secondary that got torched.

The Dolphins’ defense will look to surrender a whole lot less than 45 points when Miami takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 28, but at this stage of the season, the team has little if anything to play for. Miami is already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.