The Cincinnati Bengals host the Miami Dolphinson Sunday at 1 p.m.The game will be broadcast on CBS.
Cincinnati enters 3-1, coming off a 37-36win at Atlanta. The Dolphins are also 3-1after a 38-7 loss againstNew England.
Here's a look at three keys to Sunday's game and our predictions:
Three keys
Let it rip: How did the Patriots end Miami's bid to begin a season 4-0 for the first time since 1995? It started with Tom Brady's brilliance. Naturally. The New England quarterback averaged eight yards per passing attempt, piling up 247 yards through the air and three touchdowns. That tactic plays into the Bengals' advantage, as Andy Dalton appears to be in mid-2015 form and off to a strong start. Take caution, though. The Dolphins intercepted Brady twice last week and lead the NFL with nine picks overall. That creates a risk-reward, boom-bust atmosphere, which Dalton and Company thrived in last week at Atlanta.
Get off the field: The Bengals ranked last in the NFL in third-down defensebeforethe Falcons converted 11 of 15 on Sunday. That pushed Cincinnati's third-down rate on the season to 57 percent, seven points higher than the next-worst defense. Marvin Lewis won't get into specifics, about both the cause of the issues or the fixes required. "Have to play better," he's said, repeatedly. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said he's watched each third down his defense facedand is working with each position group to make the necessary adjustments. Austin indicated there'snot a major flaw leading to more first downs for opposing offenses. It's all the little things, collectively, leading to failures. And of course, all of this talk makes questions about Vontaze Burfict even more obvious. With the linebacker potentially returning, could he help third-down results improve? In theory, if he's 100 percent and ready to go, Burfict would be on the field on third-down nickel situations. But, until we see Tez on the field and making plays, it's hard to know what exactly he'll provide.
Stop the bleeding: The Dolphins like to spread catches around on offense, with five players already with double-digit receptions on the season. And once those guys get the ball, they take off and are hard to bring down. Miami receivers and running backs have piled up 479 yards after the catch (and essentially most of those were accumulated in the first three weeks of the season, as New England shut down the Dolphins through the air), led by shifty wideout Albert Wilson, with 154of his 161 total yards coming after first getting the ball. As part of diagnosing the Bengals' third-down issues, tackling has been called into question as opponents have averaged nearly 100 yards after contact in each game. Miami has weapons– Wilson, Kenny Stills, Kenyon Drake, Danny Amendola and Jakeem Grant, among them. Cincinnati must contain them.
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Predictions
Paul Dehner Jr.:Bengals 34, Dolphins 23
Who are the Miami Dolphins? The team that started 3-0 or the one trounced by New England last week?Few know more about the buzzsaw of an angry Bill Belichick Patriots team than the “On to Cincinnati” Bengals. So, I give the Dolphins the benefit of the doubt. Ryan Tannehill is underrated due to his injuries. Under Adam Gase, when Tannehill startsthey are 12-5 and he’s thrown for 7.8 yards per attempt, which ranks sixth in the league over that span. That only builds on the narrative of Gase as the quarterback whisperer. Given the struggles of the Bengals defense, there’s concern about Tannehill catching a breakout game Sunday. But the Dolphins are running into a buzzsaw of sorts themselves. This Bengals offense has a special mojo rolling right now. There’s momentum from the return of Joe Mixon and Vontaze Burfict as well as surviving the early run of three road games in the first four. Andy Dalton should be able to post big numbers against one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL. The key will be avoiding interceptions, where Miami has thrived (9). I think he does and why not go with the score the Bengals have posted twice already this season as the final. The Bengals then clear the path for the latest bout with big brother Pittsburgh, as vulnerable as they’ve been in years.
Fletcher Page: Bengals 31, Dolphins 21
We don't know who the Miami Dolphins are. Not yet. But we learned a great deal about the Bengals last week, on the road, against an opponent some picked to reach the Super Bowl, trailing with under a minute to play, in need of a touchdown.
Yeah, we're learning these Bengals are closer to "for real" than we thought in the preseason. Winning a game like that, with Andy Dalton calmly directing a game-winning drive and A.J. Green doing whatA.J. Green does, provides evidence that Cincinnati is ready for big moments. Ready to win in big moments.
Losing Tyler Eifert for the season hurts. But Joe Mixon is back. Vontaze Burfict is back. Billy Price will be back, eventually. And so, acknowledging the defense is very much a frightening work in progress, expect the offense to roll and the Bengals tohold serve at home this week in advance of next week's matchup with the Steelers.
