Written by James Walker at ESPN.com
The Miami Dolphins (1-2) are coming off their first win of the season and have a chance to get back to .500 with a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals (1-2). This will mark Miami’s only prime-time game of the season.
Here are six Cincinnati players to watch, courtesy of ESPN Bengals reporter Katherine Terrell:
Offense
Running back Giovani Bernard: Some of Bernard’s best games have come in prime-time settings. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bernard has 12 rushing touchdowns in 10 games, including a career-high two rushing touchdowns in his last game against the Dolphins as a rookie in 2013. The Dolphins have one of the worst run defenses in the league, and have been allowing 147.3 rushing yards per game. “We’ve had some missed tackles in the games past and haven’t always been in the right position,” said Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Most of Bernard’s action this season has come in the receiving game (nine catches for 100 yards against the Steelers), but the Bengals will likely use a combination of Bernard and Jeremy Hill to attack the Dolphins’ weak run defense.
Wide receiver A.J. Green: The Broncos were able to mostly eliminate Green as a downfield threat, although he did have 77 receiving yards. Green was frustrated with himself for dropping a key third-down pass as well. Green said he looks to himself to set the tone for the offense, and even if the Bengals try to establish the run game against the Dolphins, he’ll still be a major part of the offense as the No. 1 wide receiver. If the Dolphins put more resources into stopping the run, that could leave Green free to have a big day.
Right guard Kevin Zeitler: The Bengals are used to playing dynamic defenders by this point. Last week, they got linebacker Von Miller. This week, they’ll face Suh. Zeitler and Suh last faced off in 2013 when Suh was with the Lions. Although Suh did have a sack in that game, Zeitler handed him fairly well. Of course, with Suh now a Dolphin, it’s a much different challenge. How the Bengals handle pressure from Suh will likely determine how their run game goes for most of the night. “Good young kid, obviously in his fifth year … a guy that I respect,” Suh said of Zeitler. “It’ll be a good battle. I look forward to it.”
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