If the Miami Dolphins take down the Cincinnati Bengals, a lot would need to go their way, including a complete team effort from top to bottom.
The losses that the Dolphins have piled up are slowly improving in terms of the margin of victory for the opponent. They went from an undefeated Minnesota team to a 2-2 Bengals squad that was expected to compete for the AFC North but has had a rough start to the season.
Regardless of which side of the ball the Dolphins are on, there are a few players who need to step up for Miami. Some of them are still looking for a breakout performance, while others already have impressed this season, but Cincinnati will provide some of their most difficult matchups thus far.
After getting removed from the injury report Friday without a status designation, Wright needs to have a breakout game. Ollie Gordon II did well with 100 rushing yards and the team's lone touchdown against the Vikings, but Miami's offense regressed whenever Wright (Who started for this game) took the field, being shut down for 7 yards.
Wright has been thrust into a serious role in the run game and has underperformed. The Dolphins will have their hands full against a stout Cincinnati run defense. Gordon will give everything he has to move the ball, but he can't be the only running back contributing in this game.
So far, Brewer has played well enough to justify his three-year contract extension back in June. He hasn't given up a single sack and has only committed three penalties in 226 snaps. Against Minnesota, he was near-perfect with no QB hits, penalties, and only one pressure.
However, Brewer will be matched up against his toughest assignment so far - nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. Cincinnati acquired Lawrence from the New York Giants ahead of the 2026 NFL draft in exchange for their first-round pick, and he's helped turn their defense into a reliable unit, coordinated by former Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden.
Lawrence is having a great start to the season with 10 tackles, a team-leading three sacks, and five tackles for a loss. He and Cincinnati's front seven are doing a great job against the run, allowing just under 100 rushing yards per game (99.5), which doesn't bode well for a Miami offense that'll want to, once again, rely on the run game.
There's no secret when it comes to beating the Bengals since Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020: defenses need to apply pressure on the Pro Bowl quarterback. He's an excellent passer who will make opponents pay if they give him time in the pocket, having thrown for 1,171 yards and seven touchdowns through the air so far this season.
However, he's also been sacked nine times. Both Pittsburgh and Jacksonville applied heavy pressure on Burrow over the course of their contests in the past two weeks, sacking him twice in each game, and the Steelers and Jaguars came out on top.
It just so happens that Miami's pass rush is coming off its most successful game of the season against the Vikings, spearheaded by Sieler who registered two sacks on Kyler Murray. He'll need to bring the momentum of that game to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Usually, Burrow has a plethora of talented wide receivers to throw to, but that might not be the case on Sunday as Ja'Marr Chase (concussion), Tee Higgins (groin/neck), and Colbie Young (knee) are questionable for this game.
After not having to deal with Justin Jefferson last week, the Dolphins could find themselves facing yet another battered and bruised receiver corps. However, their Achilles' heel against the Vikings was their inability to limit the tight end, TJ Hockenson, who put the offense on his back for 119 yards.
Brooks, who claimed responsibility for Miami's struggles against Hockenson, will need to do a better job maintaining Cincinnati's tight end and former member of the Dolphins, Mike Gesicki. If Chase, Higgins, or Young are out, that could mean an expanded role for Gesicki, who caught Cincinnati's only receiving touchdown of the game against Jacksonville.
Except for their two-score win over Houston, the Bengals have been in close games all season, defeating Tampa Bay by six points but losing to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville by three and five points, respectively.
This is to say that Cincinnati is no stranger to one-score games. The Dolphins could be in a position where they'll need to turn to Patterson to keep this game within reach, or maybe even take the lead.If that were to happen, Patterson better not miss.
Patterson has been perfect when it comes to mid-range kicks between 20 and 40 yards, but missed a 41-yard field goal against Las Vegas, then a 51-yarder against San Francisco. These are distances that are slowly becoming more automatic for the next generation of NFL kickers.
Granted, Patterson has been perfect in his last two games, but hasn't been tested at the aforementioned long-range distances. While almost no major media outlet is expecting a Dolphins upset, there are a fair share of predictions for a one-score win for the Bengals. In a situation like this, the difference between a win or loss could simply come down to a kick.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi as Five Dolphins Players Who Have To Deliver in Week 5 .
