Bengals vs. Dolphins score, takeaways: Cincinnati holds off Miami; Tua leaves

The Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night captured their second consecutive win, evening their record at 2-2 after defeating the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 27-15. The game was overshadowed, though, by the scary injury to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. 

Late in the second quarter, Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupuo, and in the process of being brought to the ground, his back and head banged against the field surface. Tagovailoa was immediately in obvious pain, and his fingers went into a Fencing position, which is an involuntary response to head trauma. Tagovailoa — who was controversially allowed to re-enter last week’s game against the Buffalo Bills after sustaining what was initially described as a head injury but later referred to as a back injury — was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. The Dolphins reported that he is alert, talking, and has feeling in his extremities, and the Amazon broadcast stated that he is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Thursday night and travel back to Miami with the team.

Tagovailoa was relieved by Teddy Bridgewater, who performed admirably in his stead, but threw a late-game interception when the Dolphins had a chance to take the lead in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter. He and tight end Mike Gesicki had a miscommunication, with Bridgewater throwing a hot route against the blitz but seeing the ball whiz past Gesicki’s head and into the arms of Vonn Bell, because Gesicki ran an inside route and the throw was outside. 

In the absence of Byron Jones, the Dolphins elected to have Xavien Howard shadow Tee Higgins for most of the game, while doubling Ja’Marr Chase on the opposite side. The strategy was largely successful until Higgins beat Howard for a 59-yard touchdown from Joe Burrow, and then had to leave the game due to an aggravation of his groin/glute injuries. Miami’s backup cornerbacks were then overmatched against Higgins and Chase, who later set up the game-sealing score with a deep catch of his own. 

Below, you’ll find takeaways from this Thursday night slugfest as Cincinnati knocks Miami from the ranks of the unbeaten. For a recap of this game, check out the live blog below. 

Why the Bengals won

The Bengals offensive line did an excellent job protecting Joe Burrow in this one, which significantly contributed to their 13-point barrage in the fourth quarter to upend the Dolphins. Burrow finished 3 of 6 on throws of 20-plus air yards, throwing for 138 yards and a touchdown — the 59-yard pass to Tee Higgins to give Cincinnati a 14-6 lead late in the second quarter.

Higgins had a big day with seven catches for 124 yards and that touchdown, but Burrow also threw for 287 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has five touchdowns to just zero interceptions in his last two games, which Burrow has only been sacked four times (including once Thursday). 

When Cincinnati protects Burrow, points get on the board.

Why the Dolphins lost

The Dolphins did have a fourth quarter lead without their starting quarterback, but their third down and red zone conversions were seriously lacking. Miami went 2 of 10 on…