The Miami Dolphins will host the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in the final game for both teams before their Week 6 bye. Cincinnati enters with a 2-2 record after losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The game will begin at 1 p.m. ET and air on CBS.
The Bengals have injury questions at wide receiver ahead of the matchup. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins participated in practice in some form during the week, but both players left Cincinnati’s previous Sunday’s game with injuries and were listed as questionable. Miami rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas will miss his third consecutive game.
Cincinnati’s defensive front challenges Miami
Cincinnati added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants in an offseason trade involving the 10th pick in the draft. Lawrence has recorded 3.0 sacks and four tackles for loss while helping a Bengals defense that ranks second in run stuff rate at 32.3 percent. The Dolphins will need to handle that front without Douglas in the lineup.
Miami quarterback Malik Willis called Cincinnati’s defensive front relentless and highlighted Lawrence’s impact. Willis said the Dolphins must trust their players, continue working and execute their plan against the Bengals.
“They’re just a relentless front,” Willis said. “They work hard. They added Dexter Lawrence, a big-time guy. We played him last year in Green Bay. We just got to… I trust our guys and we just got to continue to work hard to attack the plan that we have and do what we can to execute it when the time comes.”
Miami defense prepares for Joe Burrow
The Dolphins also face a Cincinnati offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow has seven touchdown passes and a 99.5 passer rating through four games, and he is a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Miami head coach Jeff Hafley said Burrow’s accuracy, decision-making and toughness make him one of the league’s top players.
“He’s one of the top, top guys in the league,” Hafley said. “He can make all the throws. He’s smart. He sees it all. He can get in and out of the right calls constantly at the line of scrimmage. I have so much respect for how tough he is and how he sits in and takes shots and holds on and makes throws when guys are coming right at him and keeps his eyes down the field.”
Miami’s pass rush enters the game after recording a season-high 4.0 sacks in its previous game at Minnesota. The Vikings did not score a touchdown in that game, giving the Dolphins a recent defensive performance to carry into the matchup with Burrow and the Bengals.
Linebackers face key coverage assignment
Rookie inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez recorded 18 tackles in Miami’s previous game, the most by a Miami Dolphins rookie in franchise history. Rodriguez and Jordyn Brooks combined for 31 tackles in Week 4. Their coverage work could be important against a Cincinnati offense that operates heavily over the middle of the field.
Tight ends have produced 333 yards in four games against Miami this season. Hafley said the Dolphins must focus on keeping points off the board rather than reacting to one position’s production from week to week.
“When you go into each game, who do you want to stop,” Hafley said. “Is there a wide receiver you want to stop? Is there a run game you want to stop? Is there a quarterback you have to stop? Can the quarterback run the ball? So, you got to kind of pick and choose when you go into a game… So I don’t look at it like “oh man, this week the tight end had this many catches for this many yards.” It’s, what do we need to do to keep the points down to help us win the game? And that’s how I’ve always coached. I look at it big picture of what we need to do to win and keep points off the board.”
Miami Dolphins vs. Cincinnati Bengals details
The Miami Dolphins will play the Cincinnati Bengals at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 11, at Hard Rock Stadium. CBS will televise the game, and the Dolphins Radio Network will provide radio coverage. Fans can also follow the matchup through the Game Center.
The team advises checking the injury report and its official social media accounts 90 minutes before kickoff for active-player updates. Those updates will include the statuses of Chase and Higgins.
FSB Take
Miami faces a balanced test before the bye, with Cincinnati’s run-stuffing defense and Burrow-led offense presenting different challenges. Lawrence’s presence will test the Dolphins up front, while Rodriguez and Brooks will have important responsibilities against Cincinnati’s work over the middle. The final availability of Chase and Higgins will add another key variable before kickoff.
Source: Original report