Major NFL news now has Bengals hoping to avoid a distressing franchise trend from continuing
Cincinnati will not be facing Quinn Ewers, not Tua Tagovailoa, in its Week 16 game against Miami.
The Cincinnati Bengals have learned they will face Quinn Ewers, not Tua Tagovailoa, when they play against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday in NFL Week 16.
Miami announced Ewers will start against Cincinnati as Tagovailoa goes to the bench.
The news follows Miami’s Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which Tagovailoa increased to his league-high interception total to 15. The Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention with the defeat, and are now looking at their other options under center with three weeks remaining.
It’s also huge news for Miami in general. Tagovailoa signed a massive four-year, $214 million contract extension just last year. This benching has major implications for the franchise going forward.
On the surface, this is good news for a Bengals team that wants to win despite also being out of the playoff race, but history shows a change at QB for the opposition doesn’t always result in a victory for Cincinnati.
Bengals need to avoid familiar fate against another first-time starting quarterback
Ewers, who was picked in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Miami, will make his first-career start on Sunday against the Bengals. Per SI’s Jay Morrison, he’ll be the 23rd QB to make his starting debut against Cincinnati, and can be the 15th to get a win.
The Bengals’ defense has been their demise this season, ranking 31st in EPA/drop back and 32nd in drop back success rate. They’ve taken losses to the likes of Carson Wentz and Justin Fields earlier in the year.
It’s supposed to be an easy time for the defense facing an inexperienced passer. Ewers is as green as they come, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented for a QB to start 1-0 thanks to a matchup against Cincinnati.
On a positive note, the Bengals have gotten marginally better on defense since their Week 10 bye. They rank 25th in EPA/drop back and 27th in drop back success rate. Their progress can be helpful in terms of building confidence against a QB with very little NFL tape to study against.
No matter who’s been coordinating Cincinnati’s defense, or which players have been a part of it, first-time starting QBs have had more success than the club would like to admit. Achieving win No. 5 on the year comes down to bucking the trend.
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