# Week 5, 2026: Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins

Oct 11, 2026 · not played yet · 1 call on record

Who do pundits pick in Bengals vs Dolphins? Of 1 pundit with a call on record, all 1 take the Bengals. 1 named a score; the median has the Bengals by 8. Every call is graded once the game is final.

Page: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/games/2026-week-5-bengals-at-dolphins

Picks:

- [John Breech](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-breech) took the Bengals, Bengals 24–Dolphins 16; said Oct 6, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/adff8191-46ce-4758-bbee-d01fc48361d3

## How they come in

The Bengals are 2-2 and have lost 2 straight; the Dolphins are 0-4 and have lost 4 straight. On win totals, 11 pundits put the Bengals at 10.5 wins on average, and 17 pundits put the Dolphins at 2.9 wins on average.

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

- Cincinnati Bengals: 2-2, lost 2 straight (97 scored, 85 allowed)
  - Last games: L 17-22 vs Jaguars; L 27-30 at Steelers; W 20-6 at Texans
  - Unit ranks this season: offense 15th, defense 12th of 32
  - Last season: 6-11
  - Win-total calls: 11 pundits, average 10.5, 9 to 12 wins
  - The side most pundits took won 2 of 4 Bengals games
- Miami Dolphins: 0-4, lost 4 straight (46 scored, 101 allowed)
  - Last games: L 10-15 at Vikings; L 10-24 vs Chiefs; L 13-35 at 49ers
  - Unit ranks this season: offense 32nd, defense 28th of 32
  - Last season: 7-10
  - Win-total calls: 17 pundits, average 2.9, 0 to 7 wins
  - The side most pundits took won 4 of 4 Dolphins games

## Players to watch

Each club's starting quarterback, leading rusher, receiver and tight end, and its sack and tackle leaders, with their 2026 regular season so far, with the latest call on each from a pundit ranked on the leaderboard whose record beats the naive pick, made since the 2026 schedule came out ("No." is that rank). Leaderboard: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/leaderboard

- [Joe Burrow](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/joe-burrow) (Starting QB, QB): 1,171 passing yards · 7 TD, 3 INT · 71.3% completions · 4 games; 5th in the NFL in passing yards
  - No. 5 Tom Pelissero, Sep 18, 2026: Now they're going down to Houston. Joe Burrow's got a, you know, a little bit of a back issue, but I I fully anticipate him playing. (not settled yet)
  - No. 10 Rich Hribar, Jul 30, 2026: Joe Burrow to finish top 1 at his position, by passing tds (not settled yet)
- [Chase Brown](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/chase-brown) (RB1, RB): 207 rushing yards on 58 carries · 1 TD · 21 catches for 103 · 4 games; 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards
  - No. 6 Pat Fitzmaurice, Jun 26, 2026: Chase Brown to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points (not settled yet)
  - No. 7 Derek Brown, Sep 1, 2026: Chase Brown to outplay his draft cost (round two) (not settled yet)
- [Tee Higgins](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tee-higgins) (WR1, WR): 25 catches for 401 yards · 1 TD · 4 games; 4th in the NFL in receiving yards
  - No. 26 Andrew Erickson, Aug 5, 2026: Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart (not settled yet)
  - No. 34 John Middlekauff, Sep 12, 2026: Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart (not settled yet)
- [Mike Gesicki](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mike-gesicki) (TE1, TE): 11 catches for 155 yards · 3 TD · 3 games; 71st in the NFL in receiving yards
- [Dexter Lawrence](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dexter-lawrence) (Sack leader, DT): 3 sacks · 6 solo tackles · 4 games; 9th in the NFL in sacks
  - No. 34 John Middlekauff, Aug 24, 2026: Dexter Lawrence to make first team All-Pro (not settled yet)
- [Jordan Battle](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordan-battle) (Tackle leader, S): 16 solo tackles · 1 interception · 4 games; 34th in the NFL in solo tackles
- [Malik Willis](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-willis) (Starting QB, QB): 712 passing yards · 1 TD, 2 INT · 56.3% completions · 112 rushing yards · 4 games; 25th in the NFL in passing yards
  - No. 6 Pat Fitzmaurice, Sep 8, 2026: Malik Willis to record 1,000 rushing yards (not settled yet)
  - No. 7 Derek Brown, Sep 6, 2026: Malik Willis to finish top 15 at his position, by fantasy points (not settled yet)
- [Ollie Gordon II](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/ollie-gordon-ii) (RB1, RB): 148 rushing yards on 29 carries · 2 TD · 5 catches for 14 · 3 games; 32nd in the NFL in rushing yards
- [Malik Washington](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-washington) (WR1, WR): 17 catches for 219 yards · 0 TD · 4 games; 31st in the NFL in receiving yards
  - No. 6 Pat Fitzmaurice, Sep 21, 2026: Malik Washington to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet)
  - No. 25 Nathan Jahnke, Aug 30, 2026: Malik Washington to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet)
- [Greg Dulcich](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/greg-dulcich) (TE1, TE): 9 catches for 90 yards · 0 TD · 3 games; 120th in the NFL in receiving yards
  - No. 6 Pat Fitzmaurice, Aug 11, 2026: Greg Dulcich to outplay his draft cost (Late-Round) (not settled yet)
  - No. 7 Derek Brown, Aug 23, 2026: Greg Dulcich to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet)
- [Zach Sieler](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zach-sieler) (Sack leader, DE): 2 sacks · 7 solo tackles · 4 games; 26th in the NFL in sacks
- [Jacob Rodriguez](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jacob-rodriguez) (Tackle leader, LB): 20 solo tackles · 1 interception · 4 games; 9th in the NFL in solo tackles
  - No. 1 Lance Zierlein, Sep 15, 2026: Jacob Rodriguez to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (not settled yet)
  - No. 10 Rich Hribar, Sep 9, 2026: Jacob Rodriguez to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet)

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The room is counted in pundits, each one's latest call standing. Accuracy is out of 100; the naive pick is the home team.
The week: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/games/2026-week-5
Method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology