Cincinnati’s offensive firepower allowed it to seize control of the game in the third quarter, as reflected in the Bengals Vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats. Burrow threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Chase Brown for a 9-yard score, giving Cincinnati an advantage of 24-14.
At the start of Miami’s second-half drive, safety Jordan Battle made an early impactful play to secure their victory by knocking loose the ball from tight end Greg Dulicich before Myles Murphy collected it at their 34-yard line.
| Date | Result | Key Player Stats (Bengals) | Key Player Stats (Dolphins) | Match Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 2025 | Bengals 45–21 Dolphins | Joe Burrow – multiple TD passes; Chase Brown – 2 TDs; Samaje Perine – TD | De’Von Achane – 48-yd TD run; Jaylen Wright – TD | Bengals dominated 2nd half with 21 points in Q3 |
| 29 Sep 2022 | Bengals 27–15 Dolphins | Burrow – efficient passing; Bengals defense strong | Tua Tagovailoa – struggled under pressure | Bengals controlled game with defense (ESPN.com) |
| 30 Sep 2021 | Bengals 24–21 Dolphins | Burrow – clutch passing; Ja’Marr Chase – key receptions | Dolphins offense inconsistent | Close contest decided late |
| 22 Dec 2019 | Dolphins 38–35 Bengals (OT) | Andy Dalton – strong passing game | Ryan Fitzpatrick – game-winning drive | Overtime thriller |
| 7 Oct 2018 | Dolphins 17–27 Bengals | Bengals balanced offense; solid defense | Dolphins limited scoring | Bengals controlled tempo |
Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow has made quite an impression as starting quarterback of the Bengals this season. The rookie has led them to an impressive 7-3 record and looks set to finish it with an NFL-leading passer rating; having completed 75 passes for 1,8868 yards and four touchdowns in seven starts, in addition to running two times for two scores himself.
The Bengals’ defense has improved with each game this season, and on Sunday against Miami it was at its finest. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler recorded a sack in the opening quarter to force Miami to punt. Burrow then connected with running back Chase Brown for an easy touchdown pass on Cincinnati’s next drive; later on cornerback Barrett Carter made another play scoring two more touchdowns through an interception.
After suffering an emotional defeat to the Steelers last week, the Dolphins made an encouraging second half comeback attempt against Bengals – only for it all to fall apart at fourth quarter collapse.
The Bengals defense dominated the second half, capitalizing on early second-half momentum to limit Miami Dolphins scrimmage to just 109 yards from scrimmage while scoring on four consecutive possessions.
Their run game was instrumental to their success; new running back Samaje Perine ran for 108 yards and scored one touchdown pass while wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase made multiple defenders miss on his 21-yard catch and run play – plus safety Jordan Battle recovered the fumble, while Myles Murphy returned one for one more score to give the Bengals a 31-14 advantage at half time.
Samaje Perine
Samaje Perine made an immediate impact during his second game with the Bengals, scoring three touchdowns: two rushing and one receiving.
As team’s leading rusher with 109 yards this season and leading total yards from scrimmage with 1,626, including 754 receiving yards and three scores he currently leads all players with 1,626 total yards from scrimmage total and three total touchdowns.
Perine has enjoyed a boost since returning from injury, surpassing 400 scrimmage yards in each of his past four games and scoring seven touchdowns as an active physical runner as well as showing his versatility with his pass catching skills, with 179 career receptions totaling 1,513 yards and seven scores to his name.
Though his performance has been impressive, the running back remains uncertain as a fantasy option. He carries limited upside and would only see an increase in carries if an injury were to take his starting job away from him.
Perine led Cincinnati’s offensive attack with three touchdowns in the first half. He scored twice on runs of four yards or less while also breaking two tackles to score on a 56-yard kick return and later scoring from four yards out late in the quarter.
On Miami’s opening drive of the second half, safety Jordan Battle jarred Greg Dulcich’s completion and recovered a fumble, giving possession to Cincinnati at their 34-yard line. They quickly drove downfield, culminating with Chase Brown scoring their TD.
Perine has played well for the Bengals despite their slow start, and has a chance at leading their rushing attack as they enter their final stretch of regular season play. He averaged an impressive 4.1 yards per carry over their past five games and currently ranks 76 overall on EA Sports Madden NFL 2025.
De’Von Achane
The Dolphins took Achane in the third round of 2023 draft, with high hopes for him. Achane is an athletic running back who can catch out of the backfield. Since joining Miami as a backup he has provided reliable backup playmaking ability as well as contributing some impressive playmaking moments in passing play.
After an uneventful first quarter, the Dolphins broke open in the second with an impressive drive that saw Achane take an impressive 40-yard toss via reverse and then outwit multiple defenders for a shifty 4-yard touchdown run before quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connected with Achane on an easy 10-yard touchdown pass.
On Cincinnati’s next possession, Achane forced a fumble by tight end Greg Dulicich which Myles Murphy recovered at Miami’s 34-yard line. Cincinnati immediately capitalized with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Chase Brown.
Bengals cornerback Shemar Stewart made an impactful play for their defense as they recorded a sack, followed by special teams’ kicker Andrew Myers nailing a 42-yard field goal just minutes later to give the Bengals a 24-14 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, both teams traded momentum. Achane scored another touchdown run after receiving a short screen pass from QB Joe Burrow. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s defense came through big time on its next possession as safety Jordan Battle jarred loose a loose ball off tight end Greg Dulicich before cornerback Shemar Stewart recovered it at their 31-yard line.
Even though they’ve got plenty of dead money on their salary cap, the Dolphins are unwilling to let Achane go without an attractive offer containing high draft capital from another team.
Jaylen Waddle
Jaylen Waddle made an immediate impactful first career start as left tackle, helping the Dolphins build momentum early in the second quarter with a short touchdown catch from Quinn Ewers’ next series of plays to wide receiver Mike Gesicki and Greg Dulcich before being intercepted by safety Jordan Battle and recovered by defensive end Myles Murphy for one of many takeaways by Cincinnati Bengals’ defense in this game (six overall).
Cincinnati gradually closed in on Miami during the second half, eventually taking an 11-10 lead following an efficient two-play drive capped off by running back Samaje Perine’s 3-yard run. But Miami responded immediately with one of their most complete drives of the day that included QB Tua Tagovailoa passing a 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jaylen Waddle and scoring in three plays.
Waddle has proven himself one of the finest receivers in the league when it comes to getting open when receiving passes from quarterbacks like Tagovailoa. His speed and route running make him an ideal target.
Waddle was selected first overall out of Alabama in 2021 by the Dolphins as their first-round selection and has the potential to become one of the premier receiving targets in the NFL, helping teams regardless of record win games with his receiver skills. Even after just playing one game for Denver so far this season, Waddle already has high expectations for his rookie year and may become an invaluable starting tight end in years to come.
Ja’Marr Chase
Ja’Marr Anthony Chase (born March 1, 2000) is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Drafted fifth overall by Cincinnati in 2021 NFL Draft, Chase attended LSU where he earned two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and broke multiple team single-season records before becoming youngest recipient ever of Receiving Triple Crown award.
Chase recorded three 105-yard receptions from Burrow, and scored one touchdown for an outstanding performance that tied A.J. Green for most 100-yard games ever seen in Bengals history.
On Miami’s opening drive of the third quarter, Bengals safety Jordan Battle jarred loose a pass intended for tight end Greg Dulcich and recovered by Myles Murphy – leading to their first score and widening their lead 24-14.
In the fourth quarter, Burrow connected with Chase for two touchdown scoring plays that gave his Bengals a 38-14 advantage and represented their largest win this season.
Defensively, Shemar Stewart recorded a sack and led four Bengals players with at least one takeaway. Jordyn Brooks led linebacker tackles (five solo), had 14 tackles overall (five solo), as well as recording five solo tackles herself before her sack was complete.
Chop Robinson and Kenneth Grant each also contributed one each; as part of this defensive effort the Bengals held off Miami without scoring a rushing touchdown for the first time this season.
