What We Saw: Preseason Week 3

Series Navigation

Dolphins @ Bengals

Final Score: Dolphins 29, Bengals 26

Writer: Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter)

This was by far the most entertaining game that I’ve seen so far this preseason, featuring multiple lead changes and Miami coming back to win after being down 12 with six minutes to go. We were promised we would see Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow for exactly 3 plays on Sunday afternoon, and that’s exactly what we got. However, it wasn’t Burrow and the Bengals’ starters that provided the most entertainment by a long shot. Burrow’s only pass attempt – a screen to former LSU teammate rookie WR Ja’Maar Chase – bounced right through Chase’s hands and hit the ground. Instead, it was a second-half shootout between backup QBs Reid Sinnett for Miami and Kyle Shurmur for Cincinnati. The Bengals were slightly better on the ground and barely controlled the time of possession (31:07 – 28:53), but it wasn’t quite enough to hold off Sinnett and Miami’s last-minute charge. Lots of guys you’ve never heard of scoring TDs left and right? An absolutely remarkable 4th-down conversion to win the game? Let’s dive into what we saw:

Miami Dolphins

| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |

Quarterbacks

Reed Sinnett: 22/33, 343 yards, 2 TD, INT

If this is the first you’ve ever heard of QB Reid Sinnett, don’t feel bad – you aren’t alone. I hadn’t either, but after watching his performance against the Bengals on Sunday his name will definitely stick around in my mind for a while. The Dolphins appeared to be down and out after an early 4th quarter TD from Bengals WR Scotty Washington put Cincinnati ahead 26-14 with 6 minutes left to go. Sinnett responded by dropping this dime to Dolphins’ WR Kirk Merritt:

.@ReidSinnett with a 🎯 to @kirkmerritt33 for the Touchdown!

📺 >> Watch #MIAvsCIN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/ohIJ252lVq

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 29, 2021

After a quick three-and-out, Sinnett connected with 5 different receivers to go 80 yards in just 2 minutes and 8 seconds – resulting in this late, go-ahead TD to TE Chris Myarick:

OH MY @ReidSinnett and @cmyarick‼️

Watch #MIAvsCIN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/z7mQJUFTR3

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 29, 2021

I could have said a whole lot of things about this play, from Sinnett spinning away from danger, getting absolutely mauled as he threw, sitting at 4th and 15, how amazing the catch itself was. But instead, it was better to just let the play speak for itself.

Running Backs

Gerrid Doaks: 16 carries, 56 yards, 2 TD

Jordan Scarlett: 4 carries, 12 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards

Patrick Laird: 1 carry, 2 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards

We weren’t expecting to see Dolphins’ first-string RBs Myles Gaskin or Salvon Ahmed in Miami’s preseason finale, and we certainly weren’t expecting to see some guy named Reid Sinnett throwing the ball all over the yard. But when Miami got into goal-line situations to finish off long drives, it was backup RB Gerrid Doaks who answered the call twice on Sunday. Doaks is no stranger to scoring TDs in Cincinnati, seeing as how he played his college ball there. With his 230-pound frame, he punished would-be tacklers time and time again:

💪 @gdoaks23 powers his way through to start the scoring.

📺 Watch #MIAvsCIN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/c5oSPbPjJD

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 29, 2021

DOAKS x 2! @gdoaks23 takes it in for his second TD of the afternoon.

📺 >> Watch #MIAvsCIN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/6RjDOoLUoa

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 29, 2021

RB Patrick Laird showed that his steady hands as a receiver out of the backfield are back in the fold for another season. With Laird’s roster spot more or less a lock, will Doak’s powering TDs be enough to earn him a roster spot?

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kirk Merritt: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD

Malcolm Perry: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 69 yards

Khalil McClain: 3 targets, 3 reception, 57 yards

Chris Myarick: 1 target, 1 reception, 34 yards, TD

It was a chicken-and-egg situation with this group of Miami pass-catchers on Sunday – were they making Reid Sinnett look good, or vice versa? Clearly, TE Chris Myarick‘s catch was extraordinary – especially considering the stakes of the situation.

WR Kirk Merritt‘s TD also certainly appeared to be the product of a crisp route with a little defensive miscommunication mixed in. Miami’s starting pass-catching group didn’t see any action in this one, but these back-ups played their hearts out while competing for a roster spot. Merritt led the Dolphins in receiving yards against the Bengals on Sunday, but he also had a silly play where he made a catch and shedded a tackle for a first down, but then had a pretty weak hurdle attempt over a Bengals’ defender.

WR Malcom Perry added a few big catches, including a drive-extending 3rd down reception late in the 3rd quarter. It will be interesting to see which of these guys is still a Dolphin come Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Bengals

| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |

Quarterback

Joe Burrow: 0/1

Brandon Allen: 5/9, 87 yards, TD

Kyle Shurmur: 18/27, 206 yards, TD

We finally saw at least a smidgeon of proof that Bengals’ franchise QB Joe Burrow is set to return just nine months removed from an ACL & MCL tear suffered last season. Burrow didn’t do much with his only series but was greeted by the Cincinnati faithful with a standing ovation, nonetheless. Burrow is more than just a quarterback to the city of Cincinnati, he is a representation of change and hope for the future of the franchise.

While Burrow’s standing with the team is obviously crystal clear, the same could be said for the backup role with QB Brandon Allen. Allen was rewarded with a contract extension in the offseason after filling in admirably last season during Burrow’s absence. While Allen only won 1 of his 5 starts in Burrow’s absence, Bengals fans should generally feel fine with Allen as the backup. QB Kyle Shurmer played most of the game after Burrow and Allen were pulled and moved the ball confidently against Miami. Here he is throwing a dime to WR Scotty Washington in the back of the end-zone:

Some would say… Scotty DOES know.

Watch on CBS pic.twitter.com/m1ZI33Fmg5

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 29, 2021

Running Backs

Trayveon Williams: 9 carries, 44 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 3 yards

Jacques Patrick: 10 carries, 43 yards, TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards

Chris Evans: 3 carries, 10 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 29 yards, TD

Bengals’ starting RB Joe Mixon did see some work in the first series with the starters, but didn’t stick around long enough to see the highlight reel. With the departure of longtime Bengals’ RB Giovanni Bernard to Tampa Bay, Cincinnati looked to the draft and seems to have found a late gem in 6th round rookie RB Chris Evans from Michigan. Evans dazzled us early with this smooth route from the slot:

The rookie can ball (@Kidnplay_abc123)

Watch on CBS pic.twitter.com/2xJMT25uqT

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 29, 2021

RB Jacques Patrick is another runner trying to crack the Bengals’ 53-man roster but has a slimmer chance to do so than Evans. Patrick, a Florida State product who played alongside RBs Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers in Tallahassee, made the most of his opportunities, capitalizing with a one-yard TD run early in the 3rd quarter.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Trent Taylor: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 59 yards | 1 carry, 4 yards

Thaddeus Moss: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 44 yards

Mike Thomas: 3 targets, 2 reception, 40 yards

Trenton Irwin: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 45 yards

With all of the negative buzz surrounding Bengals’ rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase and his lackluster preseason showing thus far, his drop on his lone target must have been a blow to his psyche. I’m sure that Chase can turn it around and have a solid rookie campaign, but at his current ADP, I am probably staying away in redraft. We all know that fellow Bengals’ WRs Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins will be in the fold as well, but did any backup pass-catchers make a claim on a roster spot? Former 49ers’ WR Trent Taylor popped off the screen most for me. He gave us this wild catch deflected off of his own teammate to set up first and goal from the 1: