Second-quarter separation holds up
Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Miami Dolphins 31-24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 5, improving to 3-2 and leaving Miami winless. Cincinnati took control in the second quarter. After the teams finished the opening quarter tied at 7, the Bengals scored 14 unanswered points to take a 21-7 halftime lead. They extended that advantage to 28-10 through three quarters. Miami outscored Cincinnati 14-3 in the fourth, but the Bengals’ earlier cushion proved enough. The victory stopped Cincinnati’s two-game losing streak after defeats against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. Miami dropped to 0-5.
Burrow spreads the touchdowns around
Burrow completed 23 of 32 passes for 190 yards, with four different players catching a touchdown. He also gained 10 yards on four carries. Ja’Marr Chase delivered the largest receiving contribution among Cincinnati’s listed performers, catching six of 10 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. Samaje Perine added 68 rushing yards on 14 carries and caught both of his targets for 10 yards and a score. Tanner Hudson caught all three of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown. Mike Gesicki turned one of his two targets into a four-yard touchdown catch. Cincinnati’s scoring production came without a large passing-yardage total, with Burrow throwing four touchdowns on 190 yards.
Miami gets production on the ground
Malik Willis completed 15 of 27 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His rushing production gave Miami another avenue of offense: eight carries for 74 yards and a touchdown. Ollie Gordon II carried 18 times for 88 yards and a score. Together, Gordon and Willis accounted for 162 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Malik Washington caught six of eight targets for 43 yards and added an 18-yard carry. Greg Dulcich finished with four receptions for 37 yards on five targets, while Kevin Coleman Jr. caught three of seven targets for 30 yards and Miami’s lone passing touchdown.
Fantasy takeaways
Burrow led the game’s fantasy scorers with 24.6 points, driven by his four passing touchdowns. Chase followed with 19.7 PPR points, combining six receptions with 77 yards and a score. Perine’s work as both a runner and receiver produced 15.8 PPR points. For Miami, Willis’ rushing contribution helped him reach 18.9 points despite two interceptions and 137 passing yards. Gordon finished with 14.8 PPR points, and Washington added 12.1.
Next opponents
Cincinnati’s next listed matchup is a Week 7 visit to the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Miami visits the New York Jets that same day at 1 p.m. ET.