Bengals defense leads 27 points against Dolphins



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CINCINNATI (AP) – Rookie Sam Hubbard was disappointed when Ryan Tannehill escaped, avoiding a sack. A moment later, the ball came off the quarterback and flew to Hubbard, who was as surprised as anyone to have it in his hands.

"All I had to do was run right," said Hubbard.

Immediately in the end zone, he cashed 19 yards back, another crazy piece that completed the indescribable return of Cincinnati. The Bengals had 27 consecutive points and won 27-17 against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, extending their best start since 2015 – their last playoff game.

This one looks a bit more like a playoff team every week.

"The atmosphere here is crazy," said half-ball Joe Mixon.

The Bengals (4-1) seemed led by a defeat on the field while the Dolphins (3-2) – playing with exhausted lines – ran 17-0 with the help of Jakeem Grant's 70-meter kick return. a touchdown. The defensive line of the Bengals won with two wacky games.

Tannehill tried to avoid a bag by throwing the ball at his feet. Instead, he slipped out of his hand and left Durham Smythe's helmet to go directly to Michael Johnson. He ran 22 yards intact for his first touchdown in the NFL.

The defense ended the match when Carlos Dunlap hit Tannehill in the middle of the race and the ball flew directly to Hubbard for his quick exit into the end zone and a 27-17 lead in 2:37 to go.

The dolphins were stunned.

"I did not know what had happened," said Tannehill, who had three turnovers. "I heard the crowd applaud and (I saw) everyone escaped, so I knew something bad had happened."

The win left Cincinnati alone at the top of AFC's North Division, which was scheduled to take place next Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won six straight games and 14 of 17 in their series. The Dolphins must recover from a 38-7 loss by New England and their collapse against the Bengals, followed by Bears.

Some takeaway from Paul Brown Stadium:

DEFENSE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

The young Cincinnati defense lost a lot of points, but played decisive roles in the fourth quarter in three of his wins. Safety Clayton Fejedelem sent a fumble in front of a touchdown to beat Indianapolis, and the Bengals forced a fumble from Joe Flacco to defeat the Ravens. Sunday, they had the two decisive touchdowns.

"Look at the games that these guys have done in the far right today, and they are beginners," said coach Marvin Lewis.

MIXON'S MARK

The Bengals had a break with Mixon, who missed just two games after a torn piece of cartilage was removed from his right knee. With their other veteran, Giovani Bernard, out of the knee, they relied heavily on Mixon and he came out. Mixon ran 22 times for 93 yards and caught three passes, including an 18-yard touchdown.

LONG TIME

The Bengals had not been excluded in the first half and had fought to win since 2004, when they dominated Miami 3-0 at halftime and pulled out 16-13. It was only for the fourth time in franchise history that they scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and they won – they did it again in 1972, 1978 and 2004.

RARE COMPANY

Grant's 70-yard punt return made him the first dolphin to score at a reception, a kickoff return and a direct kick return in the same season. He had a punt return sending 102 yards against Tennessee during the opening game. Grant joins Dante Hall (2003) as the only NFL player with a 100-yard kick-off return, a 70-yard kickoff return and a 50-yard scoring throw in the same season. The last NFL player to have touched all three varieties was the Tyreek Hill Chiefs in 2016.

LINE OF SUPPORTED DOLPHINS

Miami were already missing two starters on the offensive line when left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins struggled to protect Tannehill to the end, contributing to the rise of the Bengals.

"Our left striker was not up to the task," coach Adam Gase said. "This kind of can do damage. And when we are late, it causes problems.

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