The Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins face off for the 28th time Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium. The two teams are at different ends of the NFL spectrum as far as expectations go and Cincinnati is 2-2 this year while Miami is still seeking its first win of the season.
The Dolphins lead the all-time series 18-9 and have outscored the Bengals 613-522 across all games.
Here is a rundown of the all-time series by the numbers:
Seven decades
The Bengals and Dolphins have played each other in every decade since Cincinnati's first season in 1968. The two teams played twice in Cincinnati's innagural season and split the two games at one apiece.
Dec. 22, 2019: 73 points
The most points scored during the all-time series came in a Bengals overtime loss at Miami in head coach Zac Taylor's
first season in charge. Cincinnati was led by quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green and the Dolphins won 38-35 in overtime after the Bengals tied the game in dramatic fashion at the end of regulation. The loss would ultimately give the Bengals the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which landed them quarterback Joe Burrow.
Oct. 9, 1978: 21 points
The least points scored in the all-time series came during a tumultuous season in Cincinnati. Bill "Tiger" Johnson resigned as head coach after an 0-5 start and was succeeded by Homer Rice. The Bengals played the Dolphins in Rice's first game as interim coach at the Orange Bowl and lost 21-0. Cincinnati would finish the season 4-12, which would be the identical record to Rice's final season as the head coach in 1979.
Winning streak: Bengals go for three in a row
The Bengals might not lead the all-time series or be within range of taking over, but they have won the last two games in the series. Cincinnati won on 27-15 on Sept. 29, 2022 at Paycor Stadium en route to a second straight AFC Championship game appearance. Burrow threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns in that game, which was dominated by the Bengals defense. The most recent Cincinnati win came on Dec. 21, 2025 when the Bengals won 45-21 at Hard Rock Stadium as Burrow led the offense with 309 passing yards and four touchdown passes.
Championship appearances in franchise history: Dolphins 5, Bengals 3
The Dolphins have appeared in five Super Bowls and won back-to-back titles in 1972 and '73 under Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula. The Bengals have made three Super Bowl appearances, but have yet to break through for their first Lombardi Trophy. The Dolphins have made seven conference championship appearances to Cincinnati's four.
Playoff history: Miami leads 1-0
The second time the Bengals made the playoffs was in 1973 when they had the misfortune of running into the defending Super Bowl champs and the vaunted Miami defense. Quarterback Ken Anderson and the Bengals offense were held to 11 first downs and 194 total yards in the game. Miami would go on to beat the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins to become the second team to win back-to-back titles and are still just the eighth team all-time to accomplish the repeat.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dolphins vs. Bengals: What the numbers say about the 7-decade series
