Winless Dolphins host Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium seeking first win under Jeff Hafley

The winless Miami Dolphins get one more chance before their bye week to find a first victory under coach Jeff Hafley when they host the Cincinnati Bengals at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami is 0-4 after a 15-10 loss at Minnesota in which its offense ran just 37 plays, and it will face Joe Burrow without star running back De'Von Achane, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Cincinnati arrives at 2-2 and on a two-game losing streak, and the Bengals may be short-handed themselves after wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase suffered a concussion and Tee Higgins an adductor injury in last week's loss to Jacksonville.

How Miami got to 0-4

Hafley, hired in January after Mike McDaniel was fired, inherited a roster in the middle of an overhaul. The Dolphins released quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the offseason, traded Jaylen Waddle to Denver and Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets, and hired former Green Bay personnel executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager. Malik Willis has started every game at quarterback. Here are Miami's results so far.

Miami has scored 46 points in four games and has not topped 13 points in any of them.

The loss in Minnesota

The Dolphins' defense kept them in Sunday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota never reached the end zone, scoring all 15 points on field goals, four of them by Will Reichard. Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the 43rd overall pick, made 18 tackles, the most by a Dolphins rookie since the team began officially tracking tackles in 1994, according to the club. Miami sacked Kyler Murray four times, two by Zach Sieler.

The offense could not keep up. Willis completed nine of 17 passes for 85 yards and lost a fumble, and his longest completion went for 17 yards. Ollie Gordon II ran nine times for 100 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown that cut Minnesota's lead to 12-10 in the third quarter, but Miami ran only 37 offensive plays to Minnesota's 78. "We need more opportunities," Hafley said Monday, adding that his team was "one possession away in the fourth quarter from winning."

Through four starts Willis has completed about 56% of his passes with two touchdowns against four turnovers. Hafley has not signaled a quarterback change, saying the staff evaluates him "game after game." Brady Cook and Kyle McCord are the other quarterbacks on the roster.

Running game without Achane

Achane, who signed a four-year, $64 million extension in May, tore his ACL in September and has been placed on injured reserve. That leaves Gordon, a second-year back from Oklahoma State, and Jaylen Wright to carry the load. Miami ran for 119 and 121 yards in its last two games, and Hafley said the problem in Minnesota was not the run game but the lack of snaps. "We have to sustain drives," he said.

Hafley praised Gordon's maturity, saying he has been running 30 to 40 yards past where coaches tell him he can stop in practice. Wright, who had a good week of practice after missing time, "didn't get many attempts" against the Vikings, Hafley said.

Dolphins injury report

Miami designated second-year defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (toe) to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window. Grant, the Dolphins' 2025 first-round pick, was limited Wednesday. Hafley said Grant stayed back from the Minnesota trip to get work done but cautioned that he did not know exactly where Grant would be because he "has not played football." Miami has until Oct. 28 to activate him.

Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas, who caught five passes for 94 yards in the opener, did not practice Wednesday, and Hafley said the team is taking him day by day. Safety Dante Trader Jr. returned to the Minnesota game after a knee issue and is day to day, while Hafley said Reese Taylor is week to week.

Scouting the Bengals

Cincinnati, in its eighth season under Zac Taylor, opened with wins over Tampa Bay (33-27) and at Houston (20-6), then lost 30-27 at Pittsburgh and 22-17 at home to Jacksonville despite 428 passing yards from Burrow. Hafley called Burrow "one of the top, top guys in the league" and said Chase is "at the very top" of the league's receivers.

Chase's concussion and Higgins' adductor injury will be the key items on Cincinnati's report this week. Chase must clear the NFL's concussion protocol to play. The Bengals already had cornerbacks Jalen Davis and Ja'Sir Taylor, wide receiver Andrei Iosivas and guard Brian Parker II on injured reserve. For Miami's young offensive line, including first-round tackle Kadyn Proctor, the bigger worry may be the Bengals' front; Hafley called it "probably the best interior d-line that we've played against."

Series history

The Dolphins lead the all-time series 18-9 since the teams first met in 1970 and are 10-1 against Cincinnati in October, according to the team. Memorable meetings include the 1973 AFC divisional playoff, a 34-16 Miami win at the Orange Bowl and the only postseason game between the clubs, and a 22-20 overtime win on Oct. 31, 2013, that ended when Cameron Wake sacked Andy Dalton for a safety.

Sunday is also the Dolphins' Crucial Catch game, when the team will recognize cancer survivors and mark the Dolphins Cancer Challenge passing $100 million raised in its lifetime.

What's next

Both teams have their bye in Week 6, so Sunday's loser will spend two weeks with its record hanging over it. For Miami, a win would avoid a 0-5 start heading into the open date. After the bye, the Dolphins visit the Jets on Oct. 25 and then return to Hard Rock Stadium to host New England on Nov. 1 and Detroit on Nov. 8. Grant's possible activation and Douglas' status will be clarified on Miami's final injury report Friday.