Costly loss for Dolphins

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Miami Dolphins 27-15 on Thursday night, but a head and neck injury suffered by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter was the story of the game at Paycor Stadium.

Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lost to the Bengals in their first primetime game of the season; losing their title as the last undefeated AFC team in the process.

But none of that felt particularly important.

Not on a night when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was immobilized and taken off the field on a stretcher after suffering head and neck injuries that sent him to the hospital. It was the second consecutive week that Tagovailoa was forced to leave a game after hitting his head on the ground, although he was designated with a back injury last week.

The Dolphins reported that Tua Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in his extremities at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. According to a broadcast report, he was expected to be released and travel back to Miami with the team.

QB Analysis: There was a possibility that Tagovailoa would not be available for Thursday’s game. Coach Mike McDaniel said it’s because of situations like these that you sign a veteran like Teddy Bridgewater. At this stage of his career, Bridgewater is more of a game-watcher than someone who will drive an offense. His highlight was a 64-yard pass to Tyreek Hill that put Miami in the red zone. He also threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter.

Highlight: Raheem Mostert took a dominant position in the Dolphins’ backfield with 69 ground yards on 15 carries. He looked like the team’s best running back over the last three weeks and was rewarded with the lion’s share of the workload, edging out Chase Edmonds, who had five carries for six yards and two receptions for 14 yards. Edmonds also dropped a touchdown, strengthening Mostert’s claim to the lead back role.

Underrated stat: with a 64-yard reception in the third quarter, Tyreek Hill already has as many 60-yard receptions this season (2) as he has in the last two seasons (one in 2020, one in 2021).

Next game: at Jets (Oct. 9)

Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday night’s game between the Bengals (2-2) and the Dolphins wasn’t pretty, but Cincinnati was able to pull out a win in the end.

However, Cincinnati won’t complain about how they got the win. The Bengals opened the season with back-to-back losses. Just like in Week 4 last season, Cincinnati ended up with a tough game on their hands at home on Thursday Night Football. And just like last year, the Bengals did just enough to pull out a much-needed win.

The game in two words: general malaise. On an exhibition night for the Bengals, Cincinnati was a little sluggish, but held on for another win on Thursday Night Football.

Standout performance: Bengals running back Joe Mixon looked good early in the team’s opening series as he racked up consistent yardage and scored his first touchdown on the ground of the season. But over the course of the game, Mixon’s production faded. It took him 17 carries to reach 50 yards, which is not the efficiency Cincinnati’s coaching staff wants for its ground attack. In the fourth quarter, Mixon fumbled on third-and-goal at the Miami 1-yard line.

QB Breakdown: Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow did not have one of his best performances against Miami and the proof is in the NFL Next Gen Stats. Excluding throws behind the line of scrimmage, Burrow completed his first 10 passes of 10 or fewer air yards. On intermediate throws between 10 and 19 air yards, however, he failed on his first five attempts. Burrow was able to overcome any difficulties with some deep passes that moved the offense along, including a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Worrying trend: Well, let’s talk about the offense again. For the third time in four games, things weren’t looking too good for Cincinnati. The fans inside Paycor Stadium booed the offense on a couple of different occasions. There were a couple of bright spots, but the lethargic performance through the first three quarters was disconcerting to those who hoped the Week 3 win against the New York Jets meant the offense was waking up.

Underrated stat: The Bengals scored a kickoff return touchdown for the second straight week. They had two kickoffs all of last season.

Next game: at Ravens (Oct. 9)