Cincinnati Bengals vs Miami Dolphins Preview & Best Bet - 12/21/2025
Updated July 9, 2026
The Week 16 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday should be an interesting game despite both teams being out of playoff contention. The Bengals (4-10) travel to face the Dolphins (6-8) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with Quinn Ewers set to make his first NFL start for the Dolphins. Can he lead the Dolphins to a win at home? Continue reading to find my Bengals vs Dolphins prediction here.
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Although neither Cincinnati nor Miami is playing for postseason positioning, there are compelling stories to keep an eye on heading into this Week 16 contest. The Dolphins have officially been eliminated from playoff contention following a 28-15 road defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, placing their coach under pressure to evaluate personnel and clarify the team's direction for 2026. Miami has benched veteran starter Tua Tagovailoa after he led the league in interceptions this season, and rookie Quinn Ewers is set for his first NFL start.
On the other side, Cincinnati has struggled to find consistency all year, standing at 4-10 and out of the playoff picture. The Bengals endured a recent 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, with Joe Burrow throwing multiple interceptions in that outing. Despite their offensive woes, Cincinnati still has a high-end passing attack when operating at full strength, and they enter as road favorites thanks to their superior quarterback continuity.
Quarterback play will be extremely important in this contest. For Miami, Ewers is stepping in for his first pro start. While his college resume was strong, his NFL experience is extremely limited, posing added risk for Miami this week. The hope will be that Ewers injects enthusiasm and capable decision-making against a Bengals defense that has been beaten by a ton of signal callers over the last few years.
For Cincinnati, Joe Burrow has stated that his goal is to finish the season strong and help his team win some games. Burrow’s elite completion rate and connection with his top weapons could be enough to exploit a Dolphins secondary that has had mixed results against the pass throughout the year.
Score Projection: Bengals 27 – Dolphins 20
Win Probability: Bengals 57%, Dolphins 43%
I think that the Bengals' porous defense will allow the Dolphins to hang around in this game with Ewers at quarterback. But I'm projecting a victory for the Bengals by around a touchdown, as their offense should hit the ground running, while it will take some time for Ewers to get comfortable in this matchup from Miami.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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