Cincinnati Bengals: Keys to victory vs. Dolphins in Week 5

Which Dolphins Are Real?

Last week was a seismic difference in outcome for Miami, which through three weeks was one of the league’s most pleasant surprises and one of the final three undefeated teams remaining in the 2018 season. Unfortunately for them, they came up against a team which everyone knew wasn’t going to go 1-3 in any possible universe.

This brings up a valid question regardless of that, however: which of the versions of this Miami team that we’ve seen so far is closer to the truth?

For evidence that they could be better than they showed against New England, look how well they performed in those previous weeks. They kept composure through a torrential rainstorm which caused hours of delays to beat Tennessee, had a dominant defensive effort on the road to beat the Jets, and used a strong fourth quarter to beat the Raiders.

Ryan Tannehill has looked really good at times (Weeks 1-3: 70+ completion percentage, seven touchdowns, two interceptions), the offense has proven deep and talented at receiver, and the defense has already forced double-digit turnovers (nine interceptions, on fumble recovery).

On the other hand, there’s plenty to say that the 3-0 start was built off fortuitous foundations that won’t last. That Tennessee game came at home and the massive amount of delays made it an irrepeatable anomaly in terms of circumstances. The Jets are yet again a mess on offense and are led by a rookie quarterback. Oakland had no defense before trading Khalil Mack. Afterwards, they went from sieve to canyon. Faced with real competition in New England, they wilted from the opening snap.

This week will surely provide a clearer answer. Cincinnati has flaws, but also a decent claim to being the best team the Dolphins have seen so far this year. If Miami is actually that 3-0 group, this will be a struggle for the Bengals. If not, it could be a dominant win in the making for them instead.