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Dolphins vs Bengals Preview |  | ||||||||
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GAME TIME: 1:00 PM EST on Sunday, Oct 31st. The game will be
broadcast regionally on CBS TV, on DirecTV channel 705, on Sirius
radio channels 126 and 147 and on XM radio channel 103.
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH FORECAST: Sunny, with a high near 59. North wind between 6 and 9 mph. FIELD CONDITIONS: Paul Brown stadium has heated (that's right - heated) natural grass. The heating helps it to grow and keeps the field from freezing. With no rain or significant other weather in the forecast, the field should be in great shape. STANDINGS & STATS: The Dolphins are 3-3, in 3rd place in the AFC East. The Bengals are 2-4, in third place in the AFC North.
Dolphins Pts/Game Rank Bengals Pts/Game Rank
Scored 18.5 24 Scored 22.0 16
Allowed 22.5 21 Allowed 23.5 25
Dolphins Yds/Game Rank Bengals Yds/Game Rank
Total Offense: 342 13 Total Defense: 340 20
Rushing: 107 16 vs Rush: 118 22
Passing: 235 13 vs Pass: 222 19
Bengals Dolphins
Total Offense: 371 8 Total Defense: 317 11
Rushing: 100 19 vs Rush: 101 12
Passing: 271 6 vs Pass: 216 17
Sacks Made (Avg/G) Allowed (Avg/G)
Dolphins 17 2.8 10 1.7
Bengals 6 1.0 10 1.7
Turnover differential:
Dolphins -3
Bengals +3
Individual Skill Position Stats:
Dolphins
QB: QB Henne: 130-206-1452-8-6-84.9
Rush: RB Brown: 76-313-4.1-1
Rush: RB Williams: 67-288-4.3-0
Rec: WR Marshall: 42-524-12.5-1
Rec: WR Bess: 32-348-10.9-3
Rec: WR Hartline: 20-234-11.7-1
Bengals
QB: QB Palmer: 151-244-1699-10-6-86.1
Rush: RB Benson: 123-476-3.9-2
Rush: RB Scott: 18-82-5.1-0
Rec: WR Owens: 40-564-14.1-3
Rec: WR Ochocinco: 36-424-11.8-2
Rec: TE Gresham: 26-184-7.1-2
Legend
QBs: completions-attempts-yards-touchdowns-ints-rating
RBs: rushes-yards-average-touchdowns
WRs: receptions-yards-average-touchdowns
HISTORY: Miami leads the series 13-5 over the Bengals (including
the playoffs). The last meeting was in 2007, when John Beck was
playing due to an injury to Cleo Lemon. The Bengals beat Miami in
that game, 38-25
INJURIES: DOLPHINS: Out: S Reshad Jones (Knee) FB Deon Anderson (Triceps) Questionable: CB Nolan Carroll (Ankle) BENGALS: Out: DE Jonathan Fanene (hamstring) Doubtful: S Roy Williams (knee) Questionable: RB Brian Leonard (thigh) LB Brandon Johnson (knee) CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle) S Chinedum Ndukwe (knee) CB Morgan Trent (knee) Probable: CB Leon Hall (hamstring) WR Terrell Owens (hand) QB Carson Palmer (hip) LB Keith Rivers (foot) T Andre Smith (ankle) DOLPHINS' STARTERS: Offense: Defense: QB - 7 Chad Henne LE - 70 Kendall Langford RB - 23 Ronnie Brown NT - 96 Paul Soliai FB - 36 Lousaka Polite RE - 94 Randy Starks WR - 19 Brandon Marshall SLB - 55 Koa Misi WR - 82 Brian Hartline ILB - 52 Channing Crowder TE - 80 Anthony Fasano ILB - 58 Karlos Dansby LT - 77 Jake Long WLB - 91 Cameron Wake LG - 68 Richie Incognito LCB - 21 Vontae Davis C - 67 Joe Berger RCB - 24 Sean Smith RG - 79 Pat McQuistan SS - 37 Yeremiah Bell RT - 72 Vernon Carey FS - 30 Chris Clemons K - 5 Dan Carpenter P - 2 Brandon Fields PR - 15 Davone Bess KR - 28 Nolan CarrollNOTES: John Jerry is still listed as the starting right guard, but there has been no announcement about his status this week. Last week, Channing Crowder finally returned to the lineup and the run defense was much improved. Jason Allen is still listed as the starting right cornerback, but the word is that Sean Smith will be returning to start at that position. BENGALS' STARTERS: Offense: Defense: QB - 9 Carson Palmer LDE - 91 Robert Geathers RB - 32 Cedric Benson DT - 94 Domata Peko FB - 30 Cedric Peerman DT - 99 Tank Johnson WR - 85 Chad Ochocinco RDE - 92 Frostee Rucker WR - 81 Terrell Owens OLB - 55 Keith Rivers TE - 84 Jermaine Gresham MLB - 57 Dhani Jones LT - 77 Andrew Whitworth OLB - 58 Ray Maualuga LG - 62 Nate Livings CB - 29 Leon Hall C - 64 Kyle Cook CB - 22 Johnathan Joseph RG - 63 Bobbie Williams SS - 41 Chinedum Ndukwe RT - 74 Dennis Roland FS - 42 Chris Crocker K - 2 Mike Nugent P - 10 Kevin Huber PR - 12 Quan Cosby KR - 28 Bernard ScottNOTES: CB Johnathan Joseph and S Chinedum Ndukwe are questionable and CB Leon Hall tweaked a hamstring last week. This means that 3 of the 4 starters in their secondary are injured.
Chad Henne is playing well, but does not seem to be generating much of a spark in the offense. His stats and QB rating are good, but he has not been very successful in leading the offense to score points. Brandon Marshall and Ronnie Brown continue to lead the offense in receiving and rushing. At this time, it looks like Pat McQuistan will continue at right guard, although there has been no official word from the team. On defense, Yeremiah Bell leads the team in tackles, just slightly ahead of Karlos Dansby. Cameron Wake is up to 6.5 sacks while the return of Channing Crowder has improved the run defense. It looks like Sean Smith will be taking over the starting right cornerback position after Jason Allen was roasted by Mike Wallace on a 53 yard touchdown pass. The Bengals rely heavily on QB Carson Palmer throwing to two of the best receivers in football - Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. But the Bengals also have a very capable running back in Cedric Benson and a very good tight end in Jermaine Gresham. There is also a rookie WR named Jordan Shipley, who is averaging 15 yards per catch for Cincinnati. Middle linebacker Dhani Jones leads the Bengals in tackles, but second is safety Cris Crocker, who spent part of 2008 on Miami's roster. Cornerback Leon Hall leads the team in interceptions with 4, but has been limited this week with a hamstring injury. The Bengals are another team having a disappointing season this year after a lot of expectations were built up for them in the off-season. They went to the playoffs last year and after the acquisition of Terrell Owens, there were a lot of fans who expected them to return to the playoffs this fall. But the Bengals have had trouble on defense this year and have been inconsistent on offense. Terrell Owens has added some spark to the offense, but Cedric Benson is not as dominant as he was last season and Carson Palmer got off to a slow start and has had some poor games this year. The Bengals remain dangerous, however, and the Dolphins will have to play well, especially on defense, to beat them. When the Dolphins have the ball, they should be able to generate a decent running game, as the Bengals are only average in run defense. The Dolphins still want to establish their running game first, despite their poor performance against the Bengals. When they throw the ball, the Dolphins will be facing a Bengals' secondary that is badly banged up. Bengals' CB Leon Hall is their best defensive back, but he was limited in practice this week due to a hamstring injury and two other starting defensive backs are questionable. Given the injuries to the secondary and the weak pass rush the Bengals have, Miami should be able to move the ball well through the air. The Dolphins' offense has not been very good at scoring this year, but this could be a good opportunity for them to put up some points. The bigger question for the Dolphins is on defense. Miami has given up a lot of big plays this year to the kinds of receivers that the Bengals have on offense. If the Dolphins are to win this game, they must find a way to limit those big plays that have burned them since the beginning of the season, but especially in the last 2 games. With the return of Channing Crowder and the subsequent improvement of the run defense, the Dolphins should be able to hold Cedric Benson in check. However, against the Bengals, that will not be enough. The Dolphins must not continue to give up the big plays they have been giving up this year if they want to win this game. So the bottom line is this - if the Dolphins want to win this game, they must do two things: On offense, they must score touchdowns and not just field goals. And on defense, they must find a way to stop the big plays that have plagued them in the passing game. Given Miami's defense, the best way to do that will be for Cameron Wake to get constant pressure on Carson Palmer and force him into some big mistakes. Palmer has had a very inconsistent year and if the Dolphins can get him nervous, he will make enough mistakes to give Miami the game. To watch the game on TV, you may go to one of the sports bars listed on my "Places To Watch" web page. To listen to the game live over the Internet, you must now pay the NFL for the privelege. They are charging $9.99 (US) per month or $39.99 for the season for something you used to get for free. If you want to sign up for that, go to the following link NFL Field Pass. Also, here is a list of some websites that have live scores and updates. Both the Official Website and NFL.com have almost live applications that run in your browser and give you current stats and play-by-play information.
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