From the Other Side: Five Questions About the Bengals

The Miami Dolphins will look to continue their playoff push when they face the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins have won six of their past seven games, including a 20-3 victory against the New York Jets last Sunday, while the Bengals will come in at 2-8-1 following a 19-17 loss against the New York Giants.

To get a better feel for the Bengals, we checked in with AllBengals Publisher James Rapien for his answers on these five key questions:

1) How would you evaluate Joe Burrow’s season before he was hurt?

Rapien: Burrow entered the year with high expectations. The weight of an entire franchise and city was and still is on his shoulders. He handled it like a veteran and exceeded expectations. He commanded the huddle on day one of training camp.

Despite not having a preseason or normal offseason to learn the playbook, he quickly got up to speed and commanded the respect of his teammates. They made him a rookie captain before the season started.

From an on-field standpoint, Burrow did what most great quarterbacks do — he hid the flaws of his team. From getting rid of the ball quickly and using his athleticism to make up for a poor offensive line, he gave the Bengals a chance to win the majority of their games. They had a chance to win every game they played except for blowout losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Burrow's injury is a bummer, but there's no doubt the Bengals have their quarterback of the future.

2) Without Burrow and Joe Mixon, do the Bengals have anybody on offense about whom the Dolphins should worry?

Rapien: Tyler Boyd is still a game-changing player. He's more consistent than Mixon and is one of the premiere slot wide receivers in the NFL. The good news for the Dolphins is Burrow won't be there to throw him the ball. Burrow-to-Boyd quickly became a staple for this offense. Boyd only had three receptions last week with Brandon Allen at quarterback. Rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins has made big plays all season, but his chemistry with Allen isn't close to what he had with Burrow.

The Dolphins will have to account for A.J. Green, but he isn't the player he once was. The same goes for Giovani Bernard, who can still make an impact but isn't someone who's going to wreck Miami's defensive game plan. Without Burrow, a powerful Bengals offense becomes pedestrian.

3) There seems to be a lot of heat on Bengals coach (and former Dolphins offensive coordinator) Zac Taylor these days; what were the expectations when he was hired and where has he failed?

Rapien: He's 4-22-1 since being named head coach and the Bengals' next road win will be the first of the Taylor era. He has flashed his potential with Burrow running the show, but how many head coaches/offensive minds would look good with the No. 1 pick on their team?

The Bengals have had a lot of injuries, but the heat on Taylor is deserved. They hired him to build a winning culture and he's in danger of posting back-to-back two-win seasons. Cincinnati only had one two-win season (2002) before he was hired. Burrow going down is a huge loss. This was supposed to be a stretch where Taylor could prove himself. Instead, he could be on his way to a 4-27-1 start as head coach of the Bengals. That would be tough to overcome.

4) Who is somebody on defense who could be problematic for the Dolphins on Sunday?

Rapien: Jessie Bates is having a career season. Much like Burrow did for the offense, the third-year safety hides the flaws the Bengals have on defense. Bates is a capable tackler, but he does his damage on the back end. He has three interceptions, 12 passes defensed and 75 tackles going into Sunday's game.

5) How far from respectability are the Bengals?

Rapien: With the right moves this offseason, they could be where the Dolphins currently are next season. First, they need to figure out Taylor's future. Then, they need to be active in free agency and address their below-average offensive line. Burrow can hide a lot of flaws, but they need to protect him. If they find the right coach and make a few quality moves this offseason, then there's no reason they shouldn't surprise people next year. This is assuming Burrow is under center to start the 2021 season, which is far from certain.

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