Dolphins vs. Bengals: Keys to victory in crucial Thursday night matchup
Bengals Keys to Victory vs. Dolphins on Thursday Night Football
Cincinnati comes into Thursday night finally tasting a victory after beating the Jets in New York. The Bengals were close against the Steelers and Cowboys, but slow starts, dumb penalties, and special teams mistakes killed them. It appears that those issues have been worked out after watching them dismantle the Jets in a game that was never close.
After starting slowly the first two weeks, Cincinnati came out aggressively against the Jets and seized control of the tempo, and the scoreboard. Where was that game plan for the first two weeks? Who knows? Zac Taylor and his staff have had a problem historically with coming out flat and unimaginative, so to see a concerted effort to mix it up early was certainly encouraging.
After having no preseason together, the line looks to have gelled somewhat against the Jets. Whether that is more of an indictment of the Jets’ defensive line remains to be seen, but Burrow looked much more comfortable, and his pocket awareness looked better. The first two game were essentially preseason for the offense, and it showed. The timing and communication issues that plagued them were all but gone against the Jets.
It’s a veteran line for the most part, so reps were needed to get in sync. If they protect Burrow Thursday night, it could be a long night for the Dolphins defense.
On Offense
The Bengals need to copy the scripted plays from the Jets game and run them again. Ok, maybe not the exact same plays, but the same mindset. Joe Burrow had exactly 1 career touchdown pass on the first or second drive in his entire NFL career. That’s just not acceptable. Burrow matched that on the first drive Sunday. After looking rusty and frustrated, Burrow now looks like the Joe Burrow we saw last year.
Deftly sliding to avoid the rush, going through all his reads rather than locking onto Chase, and running when he has to. Vintage Joe Burrow.
The run game has been an issue, but not for lack of effort. The Bengals simply haven’t run blocked well. Whether that is lack of cohesiveness as a unit, or predictability with the play calling as Mixon has run against numerous stacked boxes, Cincy still has to keep pounding in an attempt to draw teams out of the two high safeties look they have been seeing.
Once again, it’s going to be important to come out and punch Miami in the mouth early. Set the tone, take the lead, and put the pressure on Tua. If the Bengals come out and dictate the game, they have a very good chance of getting to 2-2.
On Defense
It’s the “White Tiger” game Thursday night as well as the “Ring of Honor” ceremony at Paycor Stadium, and the crowd should be jacked. I personally have been in that stadium when it has been so loud you couldn’t even have a conversation. This intensity should feed the Bengals’ defense, especially early. We see it all the time where a team comes out at home, extra fired up and defensively plays lights out for a few series before settling in. If this happens Thursday night and the offense can put a quick 14 points on the board, the Dolphins are in trouble.
The Bengals’ defense has been good, despite a lack of a pass rush. Against the Jets, the rush showed up, sacking Flacco multiple times, and the Bengals actually held onto a couple of the interceptions they had been dropping through two weeks. Even though the team will be without stud interior lineman DJ Reader, they should still hold up against Miami’s ground game, or lack of one. Otherwise, the defense is healthy. The back end is also playing exceptionally well with Eli Apple having his best season as a pro.
The key of course is going to be harassing Tua sufficiently that neither Waddle nor Hill will have time to shake loose before Tua has to unload the ball. If the Bengals can keep everything in front of them, make sure tackles, and not allow a splash play to either wideout, then Cincinnati has a very good shot at a win Thursday night.
There you go, kids! It’s a fish against a rare white tiger on Thursday Night Football. Hopefully, you have Amazon Prime, because this shapes up to be a good one!