The Cincinnati Bengals took a trip to South Beach in Week 5, hoping to snap a two-game skid against the winless Miami Dolphins. The Bengals closed as seven-point favorites at most sportsbooks, and 6.5-point favorites at others. A Bengals cover didn't feel in doubt through the majority of the game.
By halftime, the Bengals had acquired a 14-point lead thanks to three passing touchdowns from star quarterback Joe Burrow. That lead increased to 18 points by the time we reached the fourth quarter after a 45-yard touchdown reception by Ja'Marr Chase.
However, Malik Willis trimmed the Bengals' lead to 10 points with a touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr., and a successful two-point conversion toss to Greg Dulcich with seven minutes remaining in the final quarter. Following a Bengals punt, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen stripped Willis of the ball deep in Dolphins territory and recovered it at Miami's 10-yard line. It looked like the game was well in hand.
The Dolphins then held the Bengals to a 26-yard field goal, which increased Cincinnati's lead back to 13 points. Willis then took his offense 61 yards down the field and punched in a one-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to seven points with under one minute to play.
Malik Willis adds another Dolphins TD@CINvsMIA on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/PnNhnnRLl9
Since a two-point conversion wouldn't do anything, the Dolphins trotted out Riley Patterson for the extra point in hopes of making it a six-point game. Then, the Dolphins could try for the onside kick. But Patterson doinked the kick off the left upright!
Bengals -6.5 bettors saved by a missed extra point pic.twitter.com/WKOiD0Sqmy
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) October 11, 2026
The Dolphins couldn't recover their onside kick, and the Bengals took two kneel-downs to secure a 31-24 victory! Bengals -6.5 bettors scored a wild win, while the +7 bettors out there at least got a push. Talk about a bad beat for those backing the Dolphins +6.5!
The 3-2 Bengals are off to their best five-game start since 2021, the year they reached the Super Bowl, while the 0-5 Dolphins just became the fifth team since 1950 to not hold a lead in any of their first five games.










