The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Miami Dolphins this upcoming Sunday. While Miami hasn’t won a game to start the season, they played the Minnesota Vikings tough during Week 3 action.
The offense has struggled mightily with Malik Willis throwing for just 85 yards against Minnesota. It is important to note that Minnesota is one of the best defenses in the entire league.
The Bengals cannot take this Dolphins team lightly. They had a ton of picks in this past draft, and a lot of those young rookies
are playing key roles for Miami. New coach Jeff Hafley is still looking for his first win, but the Bengals cannot be the team that allows him to get it.
Kadyn Proctor vs. Dexter Lawrence
We all know that Dexter Lawrence will never be a one-on-one matchup for any offensive lineman during a game this year. However, I am intrigued to watch him going up against rookie offensive guard Kadyn Proctor. The Alabama offensive lineman is one guy who actually has similar/more size than Dexter.
Proctor is listed at 6’7” and 366 pounds. He has only allowed two pressures over the last two games combined. Aaron Brewer is the Dolphins center who will be tasked with providing Proctor support in going up against Lawrence throughout the game.
Those two, along with second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea, will have their hands full with Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is playing dominant football on a weekly basis. It isn’t always what shows up in the stat sheet, but Lawrence commands double and triple teams to free up his teammates, is an absolute force pushing the pocket, and is finally starting to even get a holding call or two every now and then because of his pure dominance.
Chris Bell vs. DJ Turner
Bell is a rookie receiver out of Louisville. While he has just 5 receptions for 92 yards on the season, he is still working his way back from a torn ACL in December of 2025. He also had a 67-yard touchdown reception called back against Minnesota after stepping out of bounds prior to the arrival of the football from Malik Willis.
DJ Turner has had a bit of an up-and-down season for Cincinnati. He is allowing a 61.1% completion rate against him through the first four games. For comparison, Turner allowed just a 46.8% completion rate during the 2025 season. He also has 2 penalties already through 4 games, after having just 3 total penalties the entire season last year.
The Bengals and Turner will not want to allow a young guy like Chris Bell with game-breaking ability to get going early on Sunday.
Ollie Gordon vs. Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter
Ollie Gordon is coming off his best game in the league. He rushed for 100 yards on just 9 carries against a very good Minnesota Vikings defense. That 11.1 yards per carry is elite-level stuff. Meanwhile, I would argue that Knight and Carter played their best combined games of the season at linebacker for Cincinnati.
Most importantly for the two second-year linebackers is that they didn’t miss a tackle against Jacksonville. They will need that to be the case again during the game against Miami. Gordon is a powerful running back with great size at 6’2” and 225 pounds.
Keeping that rushing attack in check and forcing the Dolphins to beat you through the air will be a top priority for the Bengals.
Joe Burrow vs. Jordyn Brooks and Jacob Rodriguez
Burrow is coming off a 428-yard passing game against Jacksonville. However, he is coming off a game with another two turnovers. One of those being an interception to a linebacker that he just didn’t see during the second half of the game. Burrow will have to take care of the football against a talented linebacker unit for the Dolphins.
Jordyn Brooks recently signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with Miami. He has been one of the best linebackers in football over the last few seasons. They also added Jacob Rodriguez in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Rodriguez was a first-team All-American selection at linebacker from Texas Tech last season. He has had no issues picking up right where he left off in college. He is currently leading the league in tackles and recorded 18 of them against Minnesota.
This guy is everywhere, and he can make you turn the ball over too. It will be important for the Bengals to not allow that to happen this week in Miami.
