The Dolphins are back at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday for a showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. The visitors enter with a 2-2 mark after dropping the last two games against the Steelers and Jaguars, as both teams look to get into the win column ahead of a Week 6 bye.
That bye week arrives at just the right time for both sides. Though Cincinnati star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have, in some form, participated in practice this week, both players exited last Sunday's game with injuries and were listed as questionable ahead of their matchup against Miami.
Meanwhile, Dolphins rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas will miss his third-straight game. Miami will need the rest of the offense to step up against a Bengals defense that was revamped this offseason and is bearing the fruits of those veteran acquisitions.
The biggest move by the Bengals this offseason was the trade for former Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Cincinnati sent the 10th pick in the draft to New York, and the big man is already paying dividends. He has 3.0 sacks and four tackles for loss, leading the charge for a defense that ranks second in run stuff rate (32.3 percent, run plays that result in no gain or a tackle for loss).
"They're just a relentless front," quarterback Malik Willis said. "They work hard. They added Dexter Lawrence, a big-time guy. We played him last year in Green Bay. We just got to… I trust our guys and we just got to continue to work hard to attack the plan that we have and do what we can to execute it when the time comes."
The leader of the Bengals offense is three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow, who is off to one of the best starts of his career with seven touchdown passes and a 99.5 passer rating through the first four games. He makes an explosive offense go with his accuracy, toughness and pre-snap acumen.
"He's one of the top, top guys in the league," Head Coach Jeff Hafley said. "He can make all the throws. He's smart. He sees it all. He can get in and out of the right calls constantly at the line of scrimmage. I have so much respect for how tough he is and how he sits in and takes shots and holds on and makes throws when guys are coming right at him and keeps his eyes down the field."