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Bengals beat Dolphins

Sports · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 5 shows · 47m airtime

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Miami Dolphins 31-24 on October 12, 2026, behind a defense that intercepted Malik Willis twice in the second quarter. Cincinnati enters its bye with a winning record for the first time since 2022, and Miami's missed extra point kept the final margin at seven. The discussion has since shifted to how the Bengals played: their highest shotgun rate of the season, around 80 percent, and Dax Hill moving to slot corner full-time with Jared Ivey playing outside. Jordan Battle said Willis taps the ball or pulls his hand off it before every throw, and Burrow notched his 10th career four-touchdown game while noting two red-zone fumbles and costly personal fouls.

How 5 podcasts covered it

  1. Nightcap, 2026-10-10 (58:03 to 1:07:02)
    Plays Battle's read of Willis's throwing tell
    Plays the clip of Jordan Battle telling reporters he read Malik Willis's throwing tell before the Dolphins game, then spends the rest of the segment on whether defenders should say such things out loud. The tell itself is the only new item; the rest is banter about habits and glove straps.
    New angle: Jordan Battle said Willis taps the ball or pulls his hand off it before every throw.
  2. Pardon My Take, 2026-10-12 (1:41:28 to 1:44:38)
    Frames Miami as a well-run winless team
    Covers the Bengals' 31-24 win over Miami: Malik Willis's two second-quarter interceptions, Cincinnati's inability to run out the clock, and Joe Burrow's weather-report answer to a reporter. Frames Miami as a well-run 0-5 team rather than a disaster.
    New angle: The Bengals enter their bye with a winning record for the first time since 2022.
  3. Nightcap, 2026-10-12 (13:00 to 17:32)
    Recaps the win and drifts to the top pick
    Recaps the Bengals' 31-24 win over Miami, with Jordan Battle's two interceptions of Malik Willis and Cincinnati's dink-and-dunk offense. Drifts into a debate over whether Miami or Tennessee finishes with the worst record and the top pick.
  4. Nightcap, 2026-10-12 (17:32 to 19:51)
    Looks ahead to Cincinnati's post-bye schedule
    Looks ahead to Cincinnati's post-bye schedule, jokes about Lamar Jackson's ankle, and disputes the Dolphins' 217 rushing yards as a fluke. The numbers it cites are the ones already on the record from the win over Miami.
  5. Nightcap, 2026-10-12 (19:51 to 22:24)
    Plays Burrow naming red-zone fumbles as mistakes
    Plays Burrow's postgame remarks after the Miami win, in which he names two red-zone fumbles and personal fouls as mistakes the team has to fix. The hosts agree the game should have been 28-7 at halftime and press the point that winning does not excuse the errors.
    New angle: Burrow notched his 10th career four-touchdown game and said the team had two red-zone fumbles and costly personal fouls.
  6. The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-12 (1:35:17 to 1:39:02)
    Breaks down Cincinnati's red-zone formations
    Orlovsky breaks down Cincinnati's red-zone usage of Chase and Higgins in four-by-one sets and how it freed up Gesicki and Perine in Burrow's four-touchdown game. The Willis thread is a recap of his one-completion first half and Miami's 0-5 start.
    New angle: Cincinnati used four-by-one formations heavily in the red zone against Miami.
  7. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-12 (0:34 to 4:14)
    Recaps the betting day through Miami's miss
    Recaps the betting day and lands on the Bengals-Dolphins result from the backers' side: Miami missed an extra point and lost by seven, and books moved the line from 7.5 to 6.5 after professionals bet Cincinnati.
    New angle: The Dolphins missed an extra point to lose by seven against the Bengals.
  8. The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL, 2026-10-13 (34:06 to 46:44)
    Finds the under-center plan abandoned
    Breaks down Cincinnati's offense in the Miami win and finds the offseason under-center plan abandoned: the Bengals ran their highest shotgun rate of the season, around 80 percent, and generated almost no downfield explosiveness. Argues the formula wins 10 or 11 games but stalls against real contenders.
    New angle: The Bengals ran their highest shotgun rate of the season, around 80 percent, against Miami.
  9. The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL, 2026-10-13 (46:44 to 51:59)
    Breaks down Willis's two-interception day
    Breaks down Malik Willis's two-interception day against Cincinnati: chemistry with a young receiver room, a right tackle that will be a problem all year, and a deep passing game that isn't there. Credits the Bengals' front, especially Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence, and notes Dax Hill's full-time move to slot corner.
    New angle: Dax Hill has moved to slot corner full-time, with Jared Ivey playing outside.
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