Week Four Preview: Dolphins at Bengals

The Miami Dolphins will take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday as they look to improve to 2-2 on the season.

Miami is coming off its first win of the season and can make a statement with a road victory on a short week. While the Bengals are not considered a powerhouse, winning any game on the road with only three days off is a difficult task.

The Dolphins will be shorthanded in the game with tight end Jordan Cameron and running back Arian Foster out of action. Miami will have to turn to backups at both spots and it could make things tough on Ryan Tannehill. Miami's quarterback has not had a full offensive unit at his disposal yet this season.

Mike Pouncey who has not played this year, may continue to miss action. The Dolphins have not committed to the veteran center as of yet. The expectation is that Pouncey will sit out the game and possibly return for Miami's next contest.

Last week, Tannehill was solid in the second half after a poor first half of play. With potentially tired legs under him and around him, Tannehill will likely need to be better in both halves for Miami to win this one. Falling behind early could be a critical error for the Dolphins this time around.

In the last four years, the Dolphins have gone 2-2 when playing on Thursdays. The two losses both came on the road as minimized rest is only amplified by playing on hostile ground. These two teams have met up in another Thursday game back in 2013. In that one, Miami beat Cincinnati in overtime, but the roster and coaching staff was vastly different.

The Bengals this year have not been a good team on the ground, but Miami has played poor defensively against the running game. The combination could be an interesting aspect to watch as something has to give. Stopping the running game and making Bengals QB Andy Dalton beat them could be a pivotal thing for the Dolphins.