Joe Burrow said there is a big difference going into a bye on a win, and that’s the focus as the Cincinnati Bengals head to Miami on Sunday, Oct. 11, for their final game before the Week 5 break.
The Bengals (2-2) are coming off a pair of disappointing one-score losses in games they had the ball in Burrow’s hands in the final two minutes, but they now have a chance to get back above .500 going into next week’s bye.
A desperate opponent stands in the way, as the Dolphins (0-4) seek their first win. Here are five things to know going into the game:
### Who’s in, who’s out?
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both practiced in full Friday, but are questionable to play Sunday. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday that Chase was still in concussion protocol, and “we’ll see” with Higgins, who is listed with groin and neck injuries.
Safety Kyle Dugger remains out with a quadricep injury, while Bryan Cook (ankle), wide receiver Colbie Young (knee) and linebacker Swayze Bozeman (groin) also are questionable despite participating in portions of practices this week. BJ Hill is back after missing three games due to an Achilles injury.
Dolphins receiver Caleb Douglas is out Sunday after missing the last three games with an ankle injury, and edge rusher Rob Beal Jr. (hamstring), tight end Justin Joy (concussion) and cornerback Rease Taylor (quad) also are out. Cornerback Duck Storm (knee), defensive lineman Kenneth Grant (toe), linebacker Jackson Woodard (ankle) and running back Jaylen Wright (foot) are questionable.
### Malik Willis’ tell
Jordan Battle probably isn’t the first person to point out Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis’ tell before he throws a pass, but the Bengals are hoping to take advantage of a habit that might be tough to break.
Battle told reporters Thursday that Willis “has a slight little tap (on the ball) before every throw.”
“I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball,” Battle said. “He’s obviously dangerous with his feet. We know we got to be alert for that. Third and longs, they will run quarterback draws, and in the passing game, he will extend plays. So, we got to be good downfield. He will take chances. We just got to be on, be alert on guys where they line up.”
Willis has completed just 56.3% of his passes this season, throwing one touchdown and two picks among his attempts. He’s also been sacked 11 times, including five in the season opener and four in Week 2.
Cincinnati has nine sacks this season and is looking to get back to the things that made the defense successful in the first two games: Turnovers and getting pressure on the quarterback.
### Watch the run
Miami’s passing game ranks as the third-least productive in the NFL, as the Dolphins average just 163.5 passing yards per game; however, the running game shows some promise.
Even with De’Von Achane going on injured reserve after three games, Miami has managed to top 100 yards rushing three straight weeks. Ollie Gordon has stepped up the past two games, including rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on nine carries last week in the loss to Minnesota. The Dolphins will look to test the eighth-best run defense in the league, as Cincinnati has limited opponents to 99.5 rushing yards per game.
“Very good pre-snap scheme, they make you communicate, move your feet, so they do a really good job there,” Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “Ollie Gordon is a really, really strong back. They have the play-action and boot game off of it, so a lot of it is similar, so you have to have great eyes. We gotta be really good tacklers, and you have to be good on the perimeter. They’ll test the perimeter — force runs, crack toss, counters, jet sweeps. There’s a lot of different things that they do to test you.”
### Addressing their own running game
Even Burrow acknowledged this week that the Bengals running game needs to be better. He said after last Sunday’s game when Cincinnati rushed for just 23 yards that in games like that, they should just throw more, but on Wednesday, he clarified he was just “a little emotional after the game” and his comments were specific to that particular situation.
Cincinnati ranks 31st in the NFL with just 74.3 rushing yards per game.
“Obviously, you want to have balance as an offense, and the run game wasn’t good enough on Sunday, and I feel confident in myself that you put it in my hands and I’m going to make it work,” Burrow said. “And obviously, it’s very situational. When you get into a game like Sunday, and they’re a really good defense, really good front seven, and you know, I felt like we were moving the ball pretty well in the pass game, and I could have been better in spots to help our guys and not put our defense in bad positions with the turnovers. But yeah, we got to be more balanced going forward, and a big part of that is the run game.”
Burrow is focused on cutting down turnovers. He hasn’t been good enough so far because of the miscues, including two Sunday and one in the fourth quarter that could have been the difference in a loss and a win. Miami has just four sacks this season.
### Avoid the trap
Miami is hungry for its first win, but Cincinnati has to stay aggressive and attack the game early to build a lead. The Bengals cannot afford to let the Dolphins hang around in this one.
“Anytime a team doesn’t have wins, you want to take the hope from them, you know, and make them think here they go again,” Taylor said. “You give them life, especially with the new coaching staff who’s doing a good job with them, you give them life, and they’ll seize that.”
Bengals center Ted Karras said going from 2-0 to 2-2 “doesn’t feel very good,” and it’s time to get back to winning ways and get to 3-2 before the bye. According to [PFF.com](http://PFF.com), the Bengals have the easiest strength of schedule remaining with Tennessee (0-4), Washington (1-3), and New Orleans (1-3) left on their schedule after Miami.