The Miami Dolphins played well against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16...in the first half. Yet, with the playoffs no longer an option, there was some good to take away from this game for Miami -- particularly, at the quarterback position.
Miami Dolphins' winners and losers vs. Bengals in Week 16
Dolphins' winners vs Bengals
Quinn Ewers
Quinn Ewers became the 27th starting quarterback for the Dolphins since Dan Marino's retirement. And for the most part, fans should be relatively pleased with what they saw from the seventh-round rookie out of Texas.
Ewers didn't come out and light the world on fire with a mind-blowing performance, but he showcased poise and arm strength in a Dolphins offense that frequently moved the ball up and down the field against Cincinnati.
In the first half, Ewers completed 10 of 12 pass attempts for 109 yards. While the Bengals' defense is one of the weakest in the NFL against the pass, keep in mind that Miami's offense didn't go over 100 total yards last week until the fourth quarter -- against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that isn't much better. He'd go on to finish the game with 260 passing yards and two interceptions.
The calmness of the rookie was what impressed the most. Ewers' first interception looked to be on target when it bounced off of wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. and into the waiting arms of Bengals linebacker Barrett Carter. His other pick was more of a mistake you'd expect to see from a rookie QB.
The second half was much rougher than the first, but Ewers earned himself additional starts with this performance. At the very least, the Dolphins will hope that they can rely on Ewers as the backup quarterback for the foreseeable future. But Miami will need two QB spots to fill in 2026, with them moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, and if Ewers can show improvement in the final two games, he could compete for the starting job next season.
Darren Waller
In his first start, Ewers smartly depended on Darren Waller, and the veteran tight end delivered. Waller was slow to get involved last week against Pittsburgh before going off when the game was out of reach. This week, Waller was involved early on and helped his rookie QB by bullying the opposition and picking up two difficult first downs to extend drives.
Waller has missed some time this year with injuries, but when healthy, he's been one of the most efficient tight ends in the NFL. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins have interest in Waller past this season, but with the way he's played since coming out of retirement, any young quarterback would be lucky to have him to help develop.
Dolphins fans
In the end, the Bengals ran away with this game, but this one was never about winning or losing. In truth, losing is the better option for the sake of draft position. What this game was about was seeing what the Dolphins had with Ewers.
Though many of the issues have been self inflicted for 25 years, Dolphins deserve a break. If Ewers can become another Purdy (in terms of 7th round success story) and run this Shanahan/McDaniel offense effectively, that would be such a help https://t.co/Rlx0YBR00J
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 21, 2025
It's a one-game sample with Ewers as the starter, and the second half left much to be desired, but what if the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson is on to something here?
In high school, Ewers was ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country at one point -- and no, I don't mean just at the QB position. Things obviously didn't pan out well in college, but it's a sign that he possesses the tools to be successful. He also showed a calmness against Cincinnati that is crucial at this level, and not something we've seen from Tua in quite some time.
As Jackson notes, the Dolphins have created several self-inflicted wounds in their 25-year drought without a playoff win. Three games won't be enough to determine if Ewers can be that seventh-round magic similar to what Brock Purdy has been to the San Francisco 49ers, but the Dolphins deserve a break. Maybe there's a chance he can be that guy.
Unrelated to Ewers' development, the Dolphins' fans also won Week 16 with the team rocking their throwback uniforms. Fans have much to bicker about amongst each other when it comes to team success, but the throwback uniform is unanimous as the best and should be the primary uniform once again.
Dolphins' losers against Bengals
Mike McDaniel
It's being reported that head coach Mike McDaniel looks to be safe for the 2026 season, but I'd encourage Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to look at one glaring issue before coming to that decision -- and that is, the third quarter.
The last time the Dolphins scored a point in the third quarter, Chris Grier was still the general manager. Since routing the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, the Dolphins have been outscored in quarter No. 3, 64-0. For the season, that balloons to 113-17.
It's an astronomical stat, and it points to a coaching issue. It shows that necessary adjustments are not being made at halftime. Add in the fact that Miami's scoreless third-quarter streak includes its four-game winning streak points in favor that the Dolphins beat inferior teams during their run and weren't impressive in doing so.
This week, the Bengals outscored the Dolphins 21-0 in the third quarter, blowing the game wide open. Game-planning and game adjustments are a major concern with McDaniel, and this statistic alone points to a significant mistake if he is retained beyond this year.
Greg Dulcich
I hate to pick on TE Greg Dulcich here, but his fumble early in the third quarter sparked the onslaught that was to come. It didn't help matters that it was Dulcich's first catch of the game.
Nevertheless, the lost fumble didn't sway Ewers from looking the other way, as Dulcich did finish with three receptions for 46 yards, marking his third straight game with 40+ receiving yards. Like with Waller, it's a wait-and-see approach with Dulcich past this season, but he's played well enough to earn himself a camp invite next year.
Dolphins vs. the AFC North
Miami's game against Cincinnati wrapped up its season against the AFC North division, and it was anything but pretty. The Dolphins went 0-4 against their AFC North opponents this year, with each loss either leading to a drastic change or strong speculation that one would occur.
The wheels had seemingly come off against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, when the Dolphins were dominated 31-6. Speculation ran rampant that either or both of Grier and McDaniel would be fired. Neither happened, but Grier's tenure finally came to an end two games later when the Dolphins were handled convincingly at home by the Baltimore Ravens.
Then, after last week's lopsided loss to the Steelers that officially eliminated Miami from playoff contention, Tagovailoa was benched in favor of Ewers. As a result, it's highly possible that Tua has played his last down as a Dolphins player.
With just two games remaining in the season, it's unlikely that Miami's loss to the Bengals will lead to any drastic changes. However, with it getting out of hand as it did in the third quarter, Ross needs to strongly reconsider his stance on McDaniel. If McDaniel is indeed fired after the season, this blowout loss may be looked at as a turning point in Ross' decision.