Bengals Open as Double-Digit Underdogs Against Dolphins
CINCINNATI — The Bengals lost to the Giants 19-17 on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. It was their third-straight loss and fourth in five games.
The offense stalled without rookie quarterback Joe Burrow under center. They finished with 155 total yards. Despite the struggles, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor believes they're close to turning things around.
"They’re playing hard for each other, and it’s going to turn for us I know at some point," Taylor said after the game. "I told them it’s frustrating—you’re sick to your stomach, it sucks. It’s not fun to lose. But we know that this tide is going to turn for us and we’re going back look back on this [someday]. This is a necessary part of our growth, but we need to get some wins to show for all the work we’ve put in, because it makes it tough when you finish games like this.”
The Bengals opened as 11.5-point underdogs in Week 13 against Miami. The Dolphins have won six of their last seven games.
This was supposed to be Burrow vs. Tua round two, but neither rookie is expected to play on Sunday. Burrow is out for the season and Tua Tagovailoa jammed his thumb in practice last week.
That means Dolphins veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is a double-digit favorite against his former team.
The Bengals are 1-13-1 in one possession games under Taylor. The second-year head coach is 4-22-1 since taking over for Marvin Lewis in 2019.
This team is shorthanded and they're playing teams that are still very much alive in the playoff race. Their next three opponents—Miami, Dallas and Pittsburgh—all have postseason hopes.
Taylor and the rest of his staff are left searching for answers with five weeks to play.
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