Dolphins Lose Second In A Row After Blowing 17-0 Lead To Bengals
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CINCINNATI (CBSMiami) – A tale of two games ended as a horror story for the Miami Dolphins.
A dominant first half and a 17-0 third quarter lead evaporated faster than a puddle outside Hard Rock Stadium in July as the Dolphins fell 27-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Two defensive touchdowns by the Bengals during the second half were killers.
The first came on a would-be sack, but Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill's attempt to throw the ball away bounced off a helmet and right into the waiting hands of the Bengals' Michael Johnson, who turned around and walked untouched into the end zone.
A couple drives later, Tannehill was scrambling and trying to make something happen on third and long when he was hit from behind and fumbled.
Sam Hubbard recovered for Cincinnati and took it to the house.
The first defensive score tied the game at 17.
The second one put the Bengals up by 10 with under three minutes to go, all but ending any chance of a Miami comeback.
FINDING POSITIVES
- Miami found a way to get Kenyan Drake the ball. He only carried the ball 6 times but picked up 46 yards on the ground while leading the team with 7 receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.
- Jakeem Grant electrified the Dolphins bench with a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown. At the time, it gave Miami a 14-0 lead late in the first half.
- Young defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Xavien Howard continue to impress. Both looked very good in coverage, yet again.
- As a team, Miami ran the ball better than they have in recent weeks. The Dolphins finished with 22 rushes for 128 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per carry.
- Rookie linebacker Jerome Baker picked up his first career sack on what at the time was a key stop on third down. Miami would kick a field goal on the ensuing drive to go up 17-0.
