The Bengals elected to receive the ball first following the coin toss as they were looking to get things rolling quick. But Andy Dalton was met quickly by Miami's Philip Wheeler forcing Cincinnati into a quick 3rd and long situation.
However, Dalton was able to find tight end Jermaine Gresham deep, giving the Bengals a new set of downs deep in Dolphin territory.
After that, BenJarvus Green-Ellis took the ball the rest of the way on a sweep for the touchdown score. This gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The Dolphins offense would take the field next trying to answer with a scoring drive of their own. But
Cincinnati's Terence Newman had other plans as he laid out Ryan Tannehill on 3rd down forcing Miami into a quick three-and-out.
Thanks to Green-Ellis, it didn't take long for the Bengals to capitalize on the Miami turnover on downs. From the Bengals' 30-yard line, he found daylight and took it all the way to the house for six points. Dolphin defenders said he moved so fast they didn't even see him pass by. And judging by this live action shot below, you can see what they mean.
This would give the Bengals a nice 14-0 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
After a botched kickoff by Mike Nugent, the Dolphins were given decent field position to work with. They got into Bengal territory quickly but all they could muster was a field goal attempt.
Trying to cut the Bengal deficit a little, Miami's Caleb Sturgis came out for the kick but luckily for Cincinnati, it was wide left. The score would remain 14-0 in favor of Team Who Dey.
On the next possession, Andy Dalton lost control of the ball resulting in a fumble. But Cincinnati's Clint Boling was there to secure the ball, keeping the drive alive.
Dalton quickly made up for the scare as he connected with Mohamed Sanu for a huge 68-yard reception.
This would again set up "The Law Firm" for his third rushing touchdown of the day as he got loose on the outside and sneaked his way into the end zone. With the Bengals now holding a commanding 21-0 lead in the first half, it looked as if we were going to have our second blowout in as many weeks.
However, Tannehill was able to pick apart the defense on the next drive getting his team into the red zone. Instead of a field goal attempt, this time Lamar Miller did his best Green-Ellis impression as he also used a sweep play to find paydirt.
This would make the score 21-7, and that's what it would remain as the game headed into halftime. After two quarters of play, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was on his way to another monster game, tallying 107 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries. Dalton chimed in with 117 yards through the air, and a pick he threw as time expired in the second quarter.
For the halftime show, the Dolphins Cheerleaders took the field and danced to "Welcome to the Jungle" as they tried to antagonize Bengal players and fans.
The Dolphins would have possession of the ball as the second half got underway. Again, Tannehill marched his team into Bengals territory but only got away with a field goal attempt. This time, though, Sturgis put it through the uprights trimming the Bengal lead to 21-10.
The Bengals struggled out of the gate on their first possession of the half as Dalton again fumbled the ball. This time, unfortunately, it ended up in the hands of Philip Wheeler who nearly ran it back for a touchdown.
Yet again, the Bengals D held strong in the red zone as the Dolphins were limited to another field goal try. Sturgis' kick was good making it a one-possession game after the Bengals were up by 21 earlier.
The Bengals' second-half offensive woes continued as a Cameron Wake sack would force Cincinnati to punt the ball away.
This would wrap up the third quarter as Cincinnati was holding on to a 21-13 lead.
A monstrous Lamar Miller run would quickly get Miami yet again into the red zone. And yet again, the Bengals defense forced them to settle for their fourth field goal attempt of the day.
Just like the first field goal try, Sturgis kick would sail wide left, keeping the Bengal lead at eight points.
Another Bengal three-and-out gave Miami one more shot at sending the game into overtime. With 38 seconds to play, they were facing 4th and very long.
That's when Geno Atkins stepped up. The defensive tackle had been mostly quiet all day but he recorded his only sack when it mattered the most. This forced the Dolphins to turn the ball over on downs, essentially sealing the victory for Cincinnati.
But with the great field position, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden did not want to settle for just an eight-point victory. He drew up a nice pass play for Dalton that found backup tight end Orson Charles wide open for the touchdown.
This would make the final score of 28-13 in favor of Cincinnati as the Bengals survived a scare in South Beach.
After totaling 107 yards in the first half, Green-Ellis only came away with seven yards in the second half. But he still finished the day with a solid performance on the stat sheet. Dalton struggled to connect with his receivers throughout the day. And A.J. Green was never even targeted. But luckily it didn't matter too much as the Cincinnati offense was solid in the red zone all game long.
The win moves Cincinnati to 6-3 on the Tecmo Super Bowl season. But nipping at their tails are the always-pesky Baltimore Ravens, who will host Cincinnati next week on Sunday afternoon.
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