The Cincinnati Bengals got back to winning ways on Sunday as they beat the Miami Dolphins 31-24 at Hard Rock Stadium. The win was a lot more comfortable than the scoreline suggests and leaves the Bengals 3-2 heading into their early bye week.
Joe Burrow and the offense looked very impressive against a solid Miami defense, with Burrow himself throwing for 190 yards and four touchdowns. Zac Taylor's play calling was also a lot more balanced, with 27 rushing plays and 32 passing plays, which is encouraging.
The defense continued their fantastic start to the season, as they forced three turnovers, with Jordan Battle picking Malik Willis off twice, and Jonathan Allen forcing and recovering a fourth-quarter fumble to help ice the game.
It's gratifying for the Bengals' front office to see this defense coming up with game-winning plays after they invested so heavily in improving their defensive unit both in free agency and the draft. Of course, Dexter Lawrence will steal all the headlines, but there are other names who've been just as impactful.
Jonathan Allen isn't getting enough credit
Jonathan Allen signed with the Bengals in free agency to a two-year, $25 million contract after he spent last season in Minnesota and the previous eight seasons in Washington. During his time in the NFL, Allen has always delivered, with 48.5 career sacks, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
Also, the 31-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowl tackle too, but this almost doesn't feel like enough for a veteran who has been one of the most consistent defensive tackles in the NFL.
Already this season, he has made a huge impact in Cincinnati. He's recorded three sacks and a forced fumble. Allen has been getting constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and, partnered with Lawrence in the interior of the line, Allen helps to form one of the most intimidating defensive lines in the NFL.
Oh, and it's clear that Allen's veteran leadership is resonating in a big way. His pregame hype speeches have become something of a weekly go-to for the Bengals' X/Twitter admin:
“It’s gotta be us.”#CINatMIA at 1:00 PM on Fox pic.twitter.com/XXeNp4r3GX
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 11, 2026
That's the type of competitive fire and juice this defense has desperately needed and hasn't had in recent years.
It felt at the time when the Bengals signed Allen, that he was just a solid addition, and I would say that personally, I didn't give him enough credit for how good he is when he joined Cincy.
Having watched just five games, I'm confident in saying that Allen is an elite tackle, both in the passing game and the running game. Yet another superb offseason move from the Cincinnati front office; come the end of the season, we could be considering it the best Bengals acquisition.
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