NFL Week 5 Dolphins at Bengals: Weekly awards for Cincinnati’s 27-17 win

It’s getting to the point that we should essentially expect these type of thrillers on a weekly basis from the Cincinnati Bengals. After playing a dreadful two and a half quarters against the Dolphins, Cincinnati rebounded with an astounding 27 unanswered points, with 24 coming in the fourth quarter.

In their win over the Dolphins, many players and many individual plays spring to mind. Who had the biggest impact and which were the most important in getting the Bengals to 4-1?

Most Valuable Player:

A.J. Green: Has there been a quieter 100-yard receiving performance in Bengals history? The two defensive touchdowns and overall up-and-down day by the offense overshadowed Green’s six-catch, 112-yard performance.

Many of those six grabs went for clutch first downs. Also, he set a team record with his 32nd 100-yard game as a Bengals receiver, besting Chad Johnson. Ho-hum.

Joe Mixon: What a return by the second-year back. Needing to ride him because of Giovani Bernard’s absence, Mixon didn’t disappoint.

After a slow first half, Mixon heated up as both a runner and receiver. He had three catches for 22 yards, including a 18-yard score, as well 93 tough yards on 22 carries.

Geno Atkins: The All-Pro defensive tackle continues to lead all interior NFL linemen in sacks. He had four coming into Sunday and grabbed two more in a game that desperately needed his presence.

Sam Hubbard: This kid has a nose for the ball. He may or may not ever be a Pro Bowl player, but his incessant motor and knack for the big play will always be valuable. He finished with three tackles and the huge fumble recovery for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Michael Johnson: Every once in a while, an old dog learns a new trick. After being a fan-favorite whipping boy for the past couple of seasons, Johnson pulled off one of the biggest plays in recent Bengals history.

In an incredibly odd sequence of events, a Ryan Tannehill pass caromed off of multiple players and into Johnson’s hands. He bolted into the end zone to tie the game at 17 in the fourth quarter.

Andy Dalton: The team’s veteran quarterback looked to have a pedestrian stat line, but man did he grit through a tough contest on Sunday. He threw the ball 30 times and it seemed as if he was either sacked or heavily-pressured on at least 20 of those attempts.

He finished 20-of-30 for 248 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He hit six different receivers and put up these numbers without John Ross or Tyler Eifert in the lineup.

Unsung Hero of the Week:

Randy Bullock: It wasn’t a great start to the contest for Bullock, who had his first attempt blocked. But, he came through with two clutch field goals late in the game, including an uncharacteristic 51-yard conversion. Bullock had nine important points on Sunday.

Carlos Dunlap: The veteran edge rusher has been one of the most underrated players in his generation. Yes, he doesn’t routinely come up with double-digit sack seasons, but he is one of the most clutch players at his position.

On Sunday, he had a couple of pressures, but also a gigantic strip-sack to cause a Tannehill fumble. Hubbard took it for the score, but No. 96 didn’t receive the fanfare he deserved.

William Jackson: It was a rough start for the Bengals’ trio of former first round cornerbacks, including Jackson. Dolphins receivers were finding space and Jackson dropped what would have been a pick-six in the first half.

However, like most of the Bengals’ defense, Jackson rebounded well as the game wore on. He had two passes defended and was a big part in limiting the Dolphins’ offense to just three second half points.

C.J. Uzomah: It’s never easy filling in for a Pro Bowl player. However, Uzomah had a few nice plays in relief of Eifert to aid the offense. Aside from grabbing a huge inadvertent personal foul, Uzomah finished with two catches for 43 yards. Did we mention that Tyler Kroft exited the game for a while as well?

Dre Kirkpatrick: Like Jackson, Kirkpatrick struggled early. However, he clamped down on the Dolphins’ offense in the second half, disallowing a couple of long ball opportunities by Tannehill. He also had two passes defended and appeared to be a big emotional catalyst in the comeback.

Jessie Bates III: It wasn’t a banner day by the Bengals’ secondary, but Bates’ second interception of the year was just as clutch as his first one against Baltimore. He had five tackles and what ended up being the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter.

Play of the Game:

Joe Mixon’s 18-yard touchdown catch: Cue the Bon Jovi single, “Livin’ on a prayer”. Cincinnati needed a touchdown in a big way and came up with one on the first play of the fourth quarter. After being harassed by the Dolphins front yet again, Dalton floated a pass to Mixon to kickstart the comebacke.

Michael Johnson’s pick-six: An old NFL adage says something to the effect that good teams create their own opportunities and/or get luck with bounces. Well, Johnson embodied both sentiments, as he grabbed a ricocheted pass by Tannehill for a pick-six to tie the game.

Carlos Dunlap’s strip-sack and Sam Hubbard’s fumble recovery touchdown: The momentum was officially on Cincinnati’s side as the fourth quarter was coming to a close. After scoring 20 unanswered points and grabbing their first lead of the day, Dunlap and Hubbard had more plans.

Tannehill bounced around the pocket, but Dunlap crept up behind him and swatted the ball away. Hubbard grabbed it, hurdled a couple of people and bolted into the end zone for a gut-punch to the Dolphins.

Jessie Bates’ fourth quarter interception: Though it wasn’t the pendulum-swingers as some other plays, it essentially iced the win for the Bengals. With under two minutes to play and Miami looking to score somehow, Bates stepped in and closed the door. Heck, we’ll let the rookie show you, himself.