Dolphins vs. Bengals: Score and Twitter Reaction for Thursday Night Football

It may be Week 4, but the Cincinnati Bengals entered Thursday night in dire need of a win following back-to-back losses against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. 

Fortunately for the defending AFC North champions, a matchup with the Miami Dolphins allowed them to bounce back with a 22-7 win at Paul Brown Stadium and move to 2-2 on the season.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, dropped to 1-3 and now occupy the AFC East cellar with a matchup against the Tennessee Titans looming on Oct. 9. 

While it was hardly the prettiest display by the Bengals, they pressured Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill all night long while wielding a far more efficient offense led by Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. 

Dalton finished 22-of-31 passing for 296 yards and a touchdown, while Green operated as his go-to man all night with 10 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. 

But for all of the relative offensive success Cincinnati experienced, its defense fell victim to big plays for the third week in a row.  

In search of a steady start following consecutive losses, the Bengals surrendered a 74-yard touchdown from Tannehill (15-of-25 passing, 189 yards, one touchdown and one interception) to Kenny Stills on the Dolphins' second play of the game. 

Following the Stills score, the Bengals have now allowed three touchdowns of least 40 yards in their last two games after surrendering the same amount all of last season, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dehner Jr.  

However, falling behind early appeared to spark the Bengals. 

Dalton honed in on Green several times during the team's seven-play, 90-yard scoring drive that culminated with a seven-yard touchdown toss to the towering wideout, and Green made a spectacular play along the way when he skied for a catch over Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard: 

Green didn't stop there.

Dalton's No. 1 target continued to run free in the Miami secondary, and he made catch after catch throughout the first half in a reminder of his dominant capabilities, as the Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly noted: 

Green racked up 123 yards by the time the second quarter came to a close, and that mark represented his most receiving yards in a first half since 2013, according to ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell. 

By the time the opening stanza came to a close, the Bengals secured a 16-7 lead behind an offense that was able to string together some long, balanced drives. Conversely, the Dolphins' uptempo spread attack appeared listless with the exception of the opening bomb to Stills. 

Not only did the Bengals outsnap the Dolphins, 40-19, but they also mounted a time of possession edge in excess of 13 minutes by the time both clubs hit the halftime locker room. 

The Miami Herald's Armando Salguero took note of the Dolphins' offensive futility: 

The Bengals took a 19-7 lead with a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter, but an inability to punch the ball in from the 2-yard line allowed Miami to remain within striking distance. 

But even with opportunities aplenty to claw back to within a score, the Dolphins were incapable of mustering consistent offerings against a Bengals front that recorded five sacks against a leaky offensive line. 

Along with constant pressure, the Dolphins were plagued by inefficiencies on key plays. Specifically, they converted two of 11 third downs on a night when they were outgained by 140 yards. 

USA Today's Tom Pelissero shed light on one of Miami's biggest problems as they continued to sputter Thursday night: 

If there's any good news for the Dolphins, it's that they'll have a long week to prepare for next Sunday's home date with the Titans. 

And boy do they need it.

Miami has now failed to top 20 points in a game twice this season, and it needed overtime in Week 3 to slip past a languid Cleveland Browns team.

As for the Bengals, an Oct. 9 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium awaits now that they've found some semblance of stability following two underwhelming performances.

That said, the Bengals still have plenty of wrinkles to iron out in the weeks ahead.

Not only did they surrender yet another long touchdown, but their team rushing average on Thursday night also clocked in at a paltry 2.1 yards per carry. 

If Cincinnati can harness more effective effort on the ground to supplement an aerial attack that flashed dynamic potential, the Bengals could challenge for a third division title in four seasons. 

Postgame Reaction

Once the win was in hand, Bengals star defensive end Carlos Dunlap discussed his dominant day with NFL Network's Mike Garafolo: 

Speaking of the defense, Dunlap was thrilled with the way linebacker Vontaze Burfict played in his first game back from suspension. 

"It's amazing," he said, per Cox Media Group's Jay Morrison. "He came off the couch and came out there like he’s been with us this whole time."

As for the Dolphins, Tannehill and Co. didn't sugarcoat how underwhelming their effort was. 

"One of the worst performances I've seen from our offense in a long time," Tannehill said, per NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal. 

"We’re in a dark spot right now," he added, per Rosenthal. 

"I hope everybody's angry," Dolphins pass-rusher Cameron Wake said, according to Salguero. "I hope everybody's frustrated."

"Still wasn't good enough for us," defensive end Mario Williams concluded, per Kelly. "We need to minimize big plays and get turnovers,"