Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins
Sunday, December 21st, 1:00 PM ET
Both Cincinnati and Miami have been eliminated from playoff contention in recent weeks, and both franchises just need to hit the reset button in a big way, to put it plainly. The Bengals lost Joe Burrow for a large chunk of the season due to a turf toe injury.
Burrow returned to the lineup, but it was not enough, as the Bengals are heading toward a losing season, and the veteran QB really hasn’t been all that good when he’s played this year. Joe Burrow will suit up for the Bengals’ remaining games, so I guess that’s something.
If you ask me, the Bengals need to bring in a new coaching staff and focus their entire offseason on bolstering the defense and fixing the offensive line. If they can do that, they’ll be back as a contender in 2026 like we know they can be.
The Miami Dolphins are now 6-8 on the season and out of the playoffs, and it is not clear how the future looks for the team’s QB position, as it’s clear that Tua Tagovailoa is just not going to last much longer as the team’s starter. He’s been a winning QB during his time in Miami, but he’s really nothing been more than average.
Miami and Cincy need to blow their operations up and start fresh, and with the Dolphins’ QB uncertainty looming large here, I believe the Bengals win this one. The offense in Cincy can be great at times, and Miami’s defense is just OK.
For both teams, a loss really isn’t the worst thing, as they’d be in a better position when the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around in April. We’re to the point in the season where many of these games are with two teams that are out of the playoff picture.