The Cincinnati Bengals really need to recapture some momentum in Week 5, and the 0-4 Miami Dolphins are the ideal opponent to accomplish that objective against.
Well, on the other hand, Cincinnati will be the worst team Miami has faced record-wise. The Fins may be 0-4, but their losses were to teams with a combined 15-1 record thus far. They're playing hard, they can stop the run, and they have some young weapons who are starting to emerge.
Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Bengals in their back-to-back losses to drop to 2-2. Perhaps Hard Rock Stadium will be the site of their resurgence.
In addition to an overview of where to catch this compelling Bengals-Dolphins duel in Miami, we'll get into some intriguing subplots to this showdown and even a final score prediction.
How to watch Bengals vs. Dolphins Week 5 matchup
- Time: 1.p.m. ET
- TV Network: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+ (NFL app or via browser) / NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV
- International: DAZN Game Pass
Bengals vs. Dolphins injury updates in Week 5
Courtesy of BengalsTalk.com's James Rapien, here's the Friday injury report:
Here's the Bengals' official game status report for Sunday's game against the Dolphins: pic.twitter.com/tNjY8caBwG
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) October 9, 2026
A bit hard to read without the ol' Blade Runner enhance (or, ya know, WINDOW --> ZOOM) but the main point is that Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are questionable. If anything, I'm thinking Chase will play and Higgins will sit.
Oh, and Cincinnati will be without Kyle Dugger and likely without starting safety Bryan Cook. That leaves us with Jordan Battle as the only semi-proven player at that spot. Not a good place to be.
As for the Dolphins, well, they might get 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant back in the lineup for his season debut. His rookie season was uneven, but Grant is a mammoth defensive tackle who could form a dynamic combo next to veteran Zach Sieler in Miami's interior d-line.
A foot injury could sideline Fins tailback Jaylen Wright, which would mean a healthy helping of the bruising, 225-pound ball-carrier Ollie Gordon II in Miami's backfield.
Storylines to watch for Bengals in Week 5
- Cashius Howell vs. Jacob Rodriguez rookie watch
- To play or not to play Bengals' injured stars (and if so, how much?)
- Will the running game finally show signs of life?
- Cincinnati's vulnerable run defense
- The Dohnte Meyers Experience (and its ramifications)
The Bengals still have a linebacker problem. They had a chance to draft Jacob Rodriguez in the second round. They went with Cashius Howell instead, who's been good when given the opportunities, but is, let's face it, a backup right now. At least until the coaching staff realizes he's a better player than Myles Murphy.
Rodriguez is in legit Defensive Rookie of the Year contention. We're still stuck in Cincinnati with Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. The defense would look a whole lot different with Rodriguez at the second level.
Oh right, about that. Rodriguez sure would help the Bengals' run defense, which allows 4.5 yards per carry. That'd almost be impressive if it weren't so sad.
Dexter Lawrence is occupying constant double teams. How is it that the Bengals can't do better? Check out this data chart whilst bearing in mind Rodriguez has a 46 total tackles and is pacing for one hundred and ninety-six for the season.
The Bengals can't tackle.
— Stick to the Model (@StickToTheModel) October 8, 2026
Throws of 5 yds or less against them:
65 throws, 535 yards.
8.2 a throw. League average: 4.9.
The worst start by any defense since 2006. pic.twitter.com/JA5d5SltUN
I remember when Al Golden was all chuffed about Knight and Carter reaching 100 total tackles last year. My guy Al, J-Rod is about to, like, double that. LOL.
What else can you do but laugh at this point, right? I mean I'll speak for myself on that. Follow the link at the top of this subsection to see the comical quantity of times I stumped for Cincinnati to draft Jacob Rodriguez.
As for the other narratives, yeah, Chase Brown had 10 yards on nine carries in a five-point loss to Jacksonville. That's inexcusable. I feel like Brown is to blame since he can't break a tackle to save his life.
The wide receiver corps is interesting right now. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the top dogs, yes, and Mike Gesicki is the glorified slot receiver stuck in a tight end's body. But Dohnte Meyers is making things mighty interesting.
Meyers is best suited for the slot but can win on the boundary. I'll be fascinated to see how the decisions on Chase and Higgins impact Meyers' involvement.
Joe Burrow clearly trusts Meyers, who had seven receptions for 82 yards on nine targets against the Jags. Pretty sure Andrei Iosivas has lost his job as the WR3 after landing on IR following that thumb surgery.
Final score prediction
- Bengals 27, Dolphins 17
Burrow should have his way with this Miami secondary. They just don't have the dudes on the back end to compete this season. For my money, Joe Shiesty is the most accurate passer in the sport. He's about to face a Dolphins defense that gives up a 77.9% completion rate.
I don't care who's out there at wide receiver. Joe Brrr is about to cook.
And he needs to. And no more last-minute fumbles or red zone interceptions, Joe. Let's just take care of the ball, play within ourselves, and escape Miami with a dub to get to 3-2 before the bye and a huge road trip to Baltimore in Week 7.
This should be close for a half before Burrow comes out and orchestrates two scoring drives thereafter. I see it being something like 27-10 midway through the fourth, and the Dolphins getting a garbage time TD to make the scoreboard look a little better.
The last time Burrow and Co. visited Miami was in Week 16 the previous season. I was there. The result was a 45-21 rout. A thing of beauty.
Unfortunately, the offense isn't firing on all cylinders like that and the defense is still getting sorted, adjusting to so many injuries. It's all good. A win is a win. Get it, get right at the bye, and make a run! Who DEY!!
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