Dolphins Need A Victory In Cincinnati
CINCINNATI (CBSMiami) – The record may not show it, but the Miami Dolphins have improved each week on both sides of the ball and look like they may have a legitimate starting quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.
The Dolphins will take their show on the road again this week to battle the Cincinnati Bengals. For the Dolphins, a win is desperately needed after two heartbreaking overtime losses to the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
Miami's run defense has been one of the highlights of the season. Defensive tackles Paul Soliai and Randy Starks have been stuffing every opponent this season and haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.
The Fins passing game clicked into high gear last weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 26-41 for 431 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Tannehill's favorite target was wide receiver Brian Hartline who caught 12 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown.
If Reggie Bush is healthy for the Dolphins this week, it will give the Fins a second dimension the offense struggled with against the Cardinals. With Tannehill's improvement, it could make life difficult for the Bengals.
Cincinnati is 3-1 on the season and is coming off a 27-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals' offense starts and finishes with the combination of quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green.
Dalton is completing 67.5 percent of his passes this year for 1,111 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Green is once again Dalton's favorite target after putting up an impressive rookie campaign.
Green is the definition of number one receiver and has caught 27 passes for 428 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Green is averaging 107 receiving yards per game, but isn't afraid to stick his nose into the running game to block either.
Cincinnati is the favorite heading into the game at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday. If the Dolphins can get Reggie Bush going early and Tannehill can avoid turning the ball over, the Dolphins have a great shot at pulling off the upset in Cincinnati.
The Dolphins and Bengals will kick off at 1:00 p.m. and the game can be seen exclusively on CBS4.
