Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa meet again. This time, it’s at the NFL level. The Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in football, as they’re off to a 3-0 start with big wins over high-caliber teams such as the Ravens and Bills. Then there’s the Bengals, who struggled mightily in the first two weeks, but last week had a big bounce back victory over the Jets. Some may still be a bit skeptical, but Cincinnati truly looked like the same elite football team we got used to last season.
We do need to monitor the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, though. He got banged up in Sunday’s win against the Buffalo Bills. He’s not in the concussion protocol, but head coach Mike McDaniel announced Tagovailoa will be limited in practice this week, and questionable for the game. I believe he’ll end up playing, but if he doesn’t, backup Teddy Bridgewater would get the start.
The Dolphins defense has struggled so far this season. Their inability to generate pressure on the quarterback has led to them getting diced up in the pass game, and it’s tough to imagine things simply turning around in this game. Short week, on the road, against one of the best quarterback-receiving core combinations in the NFL.
On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati’s defense has played well. Completely shutting down the one-two punch of Tyreek Hill & Jaylen Waddle is extremely difficult, but I believe Cincy will key-in on shutting at least one of these guys down, or providing the necessary resources either over the top or in the middle of the field to slow both these guys down. And guess what? The Bengals have the ability to turn that game plan into action. Forcing Miami to turn to other options outside of Hill, Waddle, and the RPO game is exactly what you want. They’ve struggled to establish a run game, and whether it’s Tua Tagovailoa or Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback, neither are the type that can elevate this offense to an elite level if they’re forced to go off their top two pass-catchers. Give me the Bengals at home in this one.
