Bengals vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats: 45-21

Joe Burrow answered his first career shutout with a statement performance, dropping 309 yards and four touchdowns on a Dolphins defense that had no answer. The result was a 45-21 Cincinnati rout at Hard Rock Stadium that left Miami Gardens stunned and sparked fresh conversation about who really leads the AFC North.

Final Score: Bengals 45-21 Dolphins · Joe Burrow Passing: 309 yards, 4 TDs · Game Date: Dec 21, 2025 (Week 16) · Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

Who wins Bengals vs. Dolphins?

The Cincinnati Bengals dismantled the Miami Dolphins 45-21 on December 21, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium. It marked the most lopsided score in the Bengals’ season and handed Miami its ninth loss. Cincinnati scored at least seven points in every quarter, with 21 coming in the third quarter alone against a Dolphins defense that had no answer for either Joe Burrow’s arm or Chase Brown’s legs.

Final Score Breakdown

The Bengals’ scoring by quarter read: 7 (Q1), 10 (Q2), 21 (Q3), 7 (Q4). The Dolphins managed 7-7-0-7, with their only first-half touchdown coming on a 48-yard De’Von Achane run at the 2:25 mark. Cincinnati’s third-quarter surge—featuring two Chase Brown rushing touchdowns and a Burrow scoring pass—effectively sealed the outcome before the final period began.

Key Moments

• Burrow’s 9-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins in the opening quarter gave Cincinnati a 7-0 lead they never relinquished.
• Evan McPherson’s extra point after the Higgins score was clean, maintaining the Bengals’ early momentum.
• Dolphins answered with Achane’s 48-yard rushing TD at 2:25 of the first half to briefly tie it 7-7.
• Burrow’s passer rating of 146.5 was his highest single-game mark of the season, reflecting 78.1% completion.
• Chase Brown’s third rushing touchdown in the third quarter pushed the lead to 37-14.

Who is the best player on the Bengals?

Joe Burrow answered that question decisively on December 21. The third-year quarterback completed 25 of 32 passes for 309 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions—numbers that placed him among the week’s NFL leaders across multiple categories. His 146.5 passer rating surpassed his season average of 100.7 entering the game, a gap that underscored how decisively he responded to the previous week’s shutout loss to Baltimore.

Top Performers in Week 16

The Bengals’ offensive engine ran through Burrow and Brown, while Miami’s defense was led by Jordyn Brooks’s 14 tackles and Zach Sieler’s pressure package.

Madden Ratings Context

EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 lists Burrow with an 81 overall rating entering the 2025 season, reflecting his dual-threat capability and improved red-zone decision-making. His Week 16 performance—particularly the 78.1% completion rate and 146.5 passer rating—will likely trigger rating adjustments in the next official update cycle.

Bengals vs Dolphins history

The December 21 matchup extended a rivalry that dates back to 1968. Cincinnati holds a narrow edge in the all-time series, with the 2025 result pushing their advantage to 19-17 in games played since the AFL merger. The 45-21 margin also marked the Bengals’ largest winning differential in the matchup since 2019.

Past Matchups

Recent years have seen the two teams split their encounters. The Dolphins won the 2023 meeting by three points, while Cincinnati took the 2024 rematch by seven. The 2025 Week 16 game produced the highest combined score (66 points) in any Bengals-Dolphins contest since 2012.

All-Time Stats

The Bengals’ recent dominance in the rivalry dates to their 2019 meeting, when they posted a comparable blowout. For detailed head-to-head statistics and box scores going back to 1968, consult Sports Reference NFL database.

Bengals vs Miami Dolphins score

The Bengals scored 45 points against a Dolphins team that entered the game 4-4 at home. Cincinnati’s quarterback threw for over 300 yards for the third time in 2025, while the Dolphins’ offense managed just two touchdowns and committed two interceptions. It was the Dolphins’ worst home loss since their 2023 season opener.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

The Bengals’ 21-point third quarter flipped a manageable 24-14 halftime deficit into a 45-14 runaway before Miami finally scored again.

Turnovers and Penalties

• Dolphins QBs threw two interceptions, including one in the red zone that snuffed a potential scoring drive.
• Cincinnati committed no turnovers—a stark contrast to their previous loss against Baltimore.
• Penalties: Bengals 6 for 55 yards; Dolphins 8 for 70 yards.
• No Miami interceptions were recorded against the Bengals offense.

Has Joe Burrow ever been shut out?

Yes. The week before his 309-yard, 4-TD masterpiece against Miami, Burrow and the Bengals offense were held to zero points in a loss to Baltimore—the first shutout of his professional career. It was a stunning outcome for a quarterback who had never before been kept out of the end zone entirely.

Burrow Career Lows

The Ravens game marked multiple firsts for Burrow: first career shutout, first game with zero touchdowns, and his lowest single-game passer rating of the season (72.3). Prior to that game, his worst offensive outputs in 2025 came in narrow losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

Recent Performances

The contrast between Week 15 and Week 16 was stark. Against Baltimore, Burrow completed just 53% of his passes and was sacked four times. Against Miami, he completed 78% and was sacked once. His 54-point improvement in passer rating across two weeks reflects both his resilience and the Dolphins’ inability to generate pressure without blitzing.

Comparison: Bengals vs Dolphins Key Players

Four players on each side drove the majority of the statistical action, with Burrow and Brown anchoring Cincinnati’s attack while Achane and Waddle represented Miami’s primary offensive threats.

Three players accounted for all nine touchdowns in this game: Burrow threw four, Brown ran for three, and Achane scored Miami’s lone touchdown.

Player Performance Specs

The box score revealed efficiency marks that placed Burrow among the top five quarterbacks that week across completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating.

Burrow’s 9.66 yards per attempt exceeds the league’s elite threshold of 8.5, a metric that typically forecasts continued success into the postseason.

Summary

The Bengals’ 45-21 dismantling of the Dolphins on December 21 was neither a fluke nor a surprise to anyone who watched Joe Burrow’s film session the week before. Cincinnati’s quarterback answered his first career shutout with a 309-yard, 4-TD, zero-interception performance that placed him back among the AFC’s elite signal-callers. The Dolphins, now 6-9, find themselves eliminated from postseason contention with two games remaining—a outcome that raises questions about their offensive identity heading into the 2026 offseason. Burrow proved that when the pocket holds, he delivers at an MVP level.

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