The Cincinnati Bengals are playing for pride now that they’re officially eliminated from the playoffs. At 4-10, they are now travelling to sunny Florida to play the Miami Dolphins, another down-on-their-luck team that is also eliminated and just benched starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The games the Bengals play over the next three weeks, against the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Browns, will decide draft position and which coaches, if any, lose their jobs.
Here are some matchups to watch:
Bengals vs. QB making his NFL debut
The Bengals’ defense will not play against Tua Tagovailoa because he was benched in favor of Quinn Ewers. That may not sound like it’s a big deal, and hopefully it’s not. Unfortunately for all of us, our Bengals have the worst record in the NFL in the Super-Bowl era against quarterbacks making their NFL debut at 8-14, per Jay Morrison.
It’s not like it matters whether the Bengals win or lose on Sunday. Winning won’t get them to the playoffs, and some may argue they’d be better off losing, considering it would improve their draft position, but these are prideful professional athletes—they won’t want to throw in the towel.
Hopefully, the Bengals can stop Ewers from looking like he has a bright NFL future.
Shemar Stewart vs. Expectations
Stewart’s rookie season in the NFL didn’t start off great. He held out due to language in his contract, and then that holdout ended over chump change. Then he just proved completely ineffective on the field before landing on IR. He’s reportedly going to play on Sunday, and, with the team officially eliminated from the playoffs, the only thing he and the rest of the team’s players are playing for is pride.
Stewart will be under the microscope for the rest of the season. Fans want to see if he was worth the No. 17 overall pick, and his lack of production in college was more fluke than sign of things to come. Stewart could ease a lot of minds if he goes off on Sunday.
The Big Three vs. The I Bug
I’m not even going to speak this into existence.
But we all know, with nothing to officially play for, a nasty injury to a key player would not only be the bow on top of the turd sandwich that has been the 2025 season, but it could very well put the following season in jeopardy.
WR2 vs. Dolphins secondary
Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in the NFL Even in a game in which the Bengals are held out of the end zone, he finished with 10 receptions for 132 yards. He won the Triple Crown in 2024, and, in a season in which he played with three quarterbacks, he has over 100 receptions and over 1,100 yards with three games still to go.
Higgins is likely not going to be playing on Sunday, as he’s back in concussion protocol, which means there will be a combination of Mitchell Tinsley, Andrei Iosivas, and Mike Gesicki as WR2. Last week against the Ravens, Burrow had a hard time finding someone other than Chase, unless he was forced to check down to the running back (Chase Brown had seven receptions). The backup wide receivers need to create separation and get open on Sunday.
Bengals’ secondary vs. Quinn Ewers
The Bengals’ defense has had a few good moments and a lot of bad ones in 2025, and they’ll have an opportunity in Week 16 to start a run that could build some momentum heading into the offseason. Ewers will be making his first start against the Bengals at home in Miami, and the last thing the Bengals’ defense wants to do is let a rookie seventh-round pick eat them up.
The secondary hopefully can disguise some coverages to keep the former Longhorn quarterback on his toes. Hopefully, the pass rush does their part by not letting him get too comfortable in the pocket, but the secondary can have a big role on Sunday, even if it’s just by disguising coverages or adding pressure in the backfield.
See More:
