MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both active and set to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
Chase (concussion) and Higgins (groin) had been questionable and missed practice time this week after leaving Cincinnati’s Week 4 loss against Jacksonville with injuries.
WATCH PREVIOUS: Chase goes down during second quarter against Jaguars
Linebacker Swayze Bozeman (groin) and safety Bryan Cook (ankle) were also active. Receiver Colbie Young (knee) was inactive. The Bengals had previously ruled out safety Kyle Dugger with a quad injury.
The Dolphins were without rookie receiver Caleb Douglas, who was sidelined for his third straight game with an ankle injury.
WATCH PREVIOUS: Tee Higgins heads to locker room after loss to Jaguars
Defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, who was activated off injured reserve this week, was set to play, along with running back Jaylen Wright (foot) and linebacker Jackson Woodard (ankle), who were questionable.
The Bengals will be playing against a Dolphins team that is still looking for its first win, but has played better defense as the season has progressed.
Miami held Kenneth Walker and Aaron Jones under 100 yards rushing the past two weeks, and the Dolphins rank sixth in the NFL with 3.6 yards allowed per carry. The Dolphins also had four sacks against Minnesota last Sunday after entering Week 4 as the only team in the NFL without one.
“We’re getting better. The communication is getting better. The execution is getting better,” Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said. “The physicality is getting better. We’re becoming a better football team. We’ve played really good football teams. And it is about the process, doing our best every single day, pouring everything that we have into it, coaches and players, so when Sunday comes, we go out there and we go play. And hopefully each week we see improvement, and the next step is to win a football game.
Matchup to watch
QB Malik Willis vs. Bengals defense. Willis admitted this week that his play through the first four games of the season has not been good enough. The Dolphins quarterback has completed 56.3% of his passes for 712 yards but has more interceptions (two) than passing touchdowns (one). He will have a tough task against a Bengals defense that has one of the highest sack rates in the NFL.
Stats and stuff
- Burrow completed 72.2% of his passes against a tough Jaguars defense last week — tied for the fourth most in any game of his career.
- Cincinnati is tied for third in the NFL with 14 sacks. DT Dexter Lawrence II, acquired by the team in a trade earlier this year, has a team-high three sacks. Free agent additions Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe also have two sacks apiece.
- The Dolphins are trying to avoid their first 0-5 start since beginning the 2019 season with seven consecutive losses under then-head coach Brian Flores.
- Rookie LB Jacob Rodriguez is second in the NFL in total tackles (46) and first among rookies, including 18 last week at Minnesota.
- WR Caleb Douglas could miss his third straight game because of an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. He hasn’t practiced the past two weeks. Defensive lineman Kenneth Grant practiced this week for the first time this season after starting on injured reserve with a toe injury.
