Four Losers And Four Winners From the Week 5 Dolphins Loss

Don't let the 31-24 final score deceive you; this was not a close game between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. In an important game for Cincy regarding the standings in the AFC North, they took care of business and handed the Fins their fifth straight loss.

At the minimum, if you're looking for player and team progression in the same vain as the Minnesota game, you won't find it here. The offense was stonewalled for three quarters, only finding rhythm when it was too late, and the defense gave up over 300 total yards and four touchdowns.

The Dolphins head into the bye week battered and bruised, figuratively and literally, and worst of all, still searching for answers. Only three teams remain winless in the NFL: Miami, Tennessee, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Based on their performances against the Bengals, it's difficult to predict when they'll finally shower Jeff Hafley with Gatorade.

WINNING AND LOSING PERFORMANCES IN WEEK 5

Loser - QB Malik Willis

Yes, Willis doesn't have a star-studded list of weapons to throw to. But Willis flat-out held the offense back, was unable to deal with Cincinnati's commanding front seven, and was more of a liability in the passing game than ever before.

Regardless of how you felt about the comments that Bengals DB Jordan Battle made about Willis's ball-tapping and how it's a tell that he's going to throw the ball, is it purely a coincidence that the DB who caught both interceptions that Willis threw was Battle?

Willis also lost a fumble pretty much by himself near his own goal line and was sacked three times. One of those sacks came on second-and-goal in the third quarter — a case of holding onto the ball for too long, trying to make an impossible play happen instead of throwing the ball away — a consistent mistake he's made this season.

To his credit, he looked decent as a scrambler with 74 yards and a touchdown, but this was by far his worst game of the season purely from a mistake standpoint. His game looks extremely limited, and because the weapons at his disposal are also limited, you get an offensive performance like the Dolphins got against the Bengals — simply not good enough.

Winner - CB Chris Johnson

Johnson and Miami's secondary had a tough task against Cincinnati since two of their wide receivers, who were questionable — Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — ended up playing. But Johnson held his own with six total tackles, a low number because he locked down most receivers he was matched up against.

Like the other rookies on defense, Johnson also achieved his first major highlight of the season, a Peanut punch on Chase Brown in the red zone, forcing a fumble that was picked up by Chop Robinson — ignore that Robinson also had the ball punched out, only for JuJu Brents to corral it in the end.

There were only a handful of receptions that Johnson gave up, but nothing major. He may have had a slow start to the season in terms of effectiveness, but he's heating up for the Dolphins at a solid pace.

Loser - RB Jaylen Wright

After being stuffed by the Minnesota defense, Wright needed a bounce-back game to genuinely help out this offense whenever he was on the field, but once again, he was made a non-factor — six carries for 11 yards.

The offensive line has been able (for the most part) to create gaps for Miami's running backs, but Wright's running can be predictable, purely horizontal, and he's been unable to either evade or shake off tacklers in the same way that Ollie Gordon has been able to do.

Both wide receivers Chris Bell and Malik Washington were both used in the running game for one play each and recorded more rushing yards than Wright (26 & 18). Miami's duo in the backfield was once De'Von Achane and Gordon, and now it's forced to be Gordon and Willis because Wright isn't doing enough to justify remaining the backup running back.

Winner - WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

It might not look like much, but Coleman had a breakout game for the Dolphins that was well-needed — three receptions for 30 yards off seven targets, including his first touchdown in the NFL that came in the fourth quarter, beginning a way-too-late rally for Miami that obviously fell short.

Miami's fifth-round pick showcased the ability to create separation even with limited space, headlined by the aforementioned touchdown. He also showcased his athleticism when he dove for a catch at the six-yard line with a minute to go, leading to Willis sneaking into the end zone right after.

Caleb Douglas is still injured and, spoiler alert, Chris Bell had a disappointing game. So, seeing Coleman have the performance he did is reassuring, and maybe Miami's offense could turn to him more often as the season progresses.

Loser - WR Chris Bell

The aforementioned "rush" for Bell was an end-around play that he made the most of, assisted by solid blocking from both Kadyn Proctor and Will Kacmarek. As a receiver, Bell was targeted twice but did not record a single reception.

It feels like a combination of the Dolphins not utilizing him as much as they could, along with Bell being unable to create distance between himself and the defensive backs he's matched up against. It's a problem that reared its ugly head against Minnesota and continued into this game.

All in all, it's clear the Dolphins are looking elsewhere in terms of who they want Willis to throw to, and when Douglas is once again available, it wouldn't be shocking to see Bell's already small snap count be erased.

Winner - LB Jordyn Brooks

Things got scary for Brooks when he suffered a foot injury in the first half. He would return later on in the game and still come away with eight tackles, tied for the second-most in this game.

Aside from showing the toughness and grit that's to be expected from a veteran like Brooks, he made good on his responsibility to limit tight ends following what TJ Hockenson was able to do for the Vikings. Erick All Jr. was held to 25 yards on three targets. Mike Gesiscki scored a touchdown on Cincinnati's opening drive, but didn't record a single reception the rest of the way.

Loser - STC Chris Tabor

We have our first coach on one of these lists, and it's been a long time coming for special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. Between the punting, kicking, returning, and especially fielding, this has been a horrific start to the season for the Dolphins, and the blame needs to fall on someone.

Miami, which hasn't had a lead all season, was denied one out of the gate when the Dolphins gave up an 81-yard return on the opening kickoff. Not long after, one of their kickoffs missed the landing zone, which would have placed the ball on the 40-yard line if not for a Cincinnati personal foul that set them back 15 yards.

Riley Patterson cashed in on a 29-yard field goal, but missed an extra point following the final touchdown with a minute to go. It ultimately didn't mean anything because the Dolphins didn't recover the ensuing onside kick, but what if they had? Since he missed the PAT, seven points would have forced overtime instead of winning the game outright.

Bradley Pinion, at the least, had a decent game with a pair of 57- and 59-yard punts, but this was another overall messy performance by the special teams. Miami's offense and defense have enough on their plates to worry about without the special teams putting them in awful situations.

Winner - RB Ollie Gordon II

Miami's safety net in the offense, Gordon had another quality game with 88 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown in the first half. Thankfully, his visit to the blue medical tent was brief, and he immediately returned to the game.

The only "negative" you could say about Gordon was that his emotions spilled out on the sidelines, which was caught on video from multiple angles. It occurred following Miami's field goal in the third quarter, despite the offense having a first-and-goal on the 1-yard line.

But honestly, Miami's offense has played and looked so stale up to this point that the outburst from Gordon was genuinely a welcome sign. It shows he cares and wants to see the offense improve more than any other player or even coach for the Dolphins.

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