It Still Sucks

Bengals 31, Dolphins 24 at Hard Rock. We are 0–5. They are 3–2. I bet the Dolphins plus 7½. We covered. It still sucks.

The first half was 21–7. I called it 21-something. Fill in your own word. It rhymes with gas. Shaking my head. I was not wrong about the half. Burrow had already thrown. Chase was on the field. We had one touchdown, Gordon’s, and then nothing. I sat there thinking the cover was in trouble and the game was gone. That is what 21–7 looks like when you are 0–4 and the other quarterback is not missing.

Then they came back. A field goal in the third. Fourteen in the fourth. We got it to 31–24. I did not see that coming. I will not pretend I did. A team that looked finished at the half scored 17 after it and lost by seven. That is not nothing. It is also not a win.

This was so bad in the first half that I let an old pro take the top spot before I sat down with it. Welcome, Dave Hyde. He can have the lead. I am next to him.

Malik

Malik Willis was horrible. Fifteen of 27 for 137 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble lost. Jordan Battle had both picks. That is three turnovers. Jeff Hafley said it after the game. You are never going to win turning the ball over three times. He is right.

Did he have time? Sometimes. He was sacked three times for 23 yards, so the pocket was not always there. He also held it. On the season he has taken 3.19 seconds to throw. That is a long time. Hafley said he skipped the checkdown for the risky throw, more than once. They got to the Bengals 1 and he took a sack that did not have to be taken. They kicked a field goal. The line is young. The ball still has to be taken care of. Both of those are true.

His legs were the other half of it. Eight rushes, 74 yards, a touchdown. He can run. That does not fix the throws, and it does not fix the first half.

Ollie Gordon

Ollie Gordon had 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. That is the run game. He tied it at 7 in the first quarter, which was the last time the game felt even until the fourth. He left for a few minutes because an official sent him out for a head-to-head check. He came back and ripped a 15-yarder on the last scoring drive. Jaylen Wright had six carries for 11 yards. Gordon is the plan. Wright has to give more than that.

JRod

Jacob Rodriguez had 11 tackles. Four solo, seven assists. That is 57 in five games. He had 18 in Minneapolis. He is finding the ball every week. The middle can tackle. The problem in front of him is still the same. Zero sacks on a quarterback who threw four touchdowns on 190 yards. Burrow was 23 of 32. He did not throw an interception. Know the receiver. Then get there.

	Sunday
Halftime	Bengals 21, Dolphins 7.
Final	Bengals 31, Dolphins 24. Cover, plus 7½.
Willis	15 of 27, 137, 1 TD, 2 INT, a fumble lost. Sacked 3 times. 8 rushes, 74 yards, 1 TD.
Gordon	18 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD.
Rodriguez	11 tackles. 57 in five games.
Yards	Miami 331, 217 on the ground. Cincinnati 307.
Burrow	23 of 32, 190, 4 TD, 0 INT. Not sacked.

What I am left with

I thought we would cover and not win. We did that. I did not think we would play a first half that bad and then come back far enough to make the last minutes matter. That shocked me. We outgained them, 331 to 307. We ran for 217. The rest is coming together. I hope. Hope is not a record. We are 0–5. The turnovers and a rush that did not arrive are why a game that got close is still a loss. The bye is next week. That is for the ball, the pocket, and getting that quarterback on the ground. Not for a speech.

Sunday. 21–7 at the half. 31–24 at the end. Covered. Lost. Malik was horrible. Gordon ran. Rodriguez tackled. The comeback shocked me. It still sucks.

Dave stays the lead. I am next to him. 1993 stays where it is until we win a game. The number does not change.