Bengals beat Dolphins after Tua Tagovailoa stretched off the field | Plus, as a preview of a huge football weekend

Hello everyone, but especially to…

THE CINCINNATI BENGALS

The bengals rediscovered a key element of their offense and, in turn, rediscovered their ways of winning, knocking out the previously undefeated dolphins 27-15.

• Joe Terrier threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and, perhaps most importantly, sacked just one as he led the way. Burrow was sacked 15 times in the first three weeks.
• Higgins t-shirt had seven receptions for 124 yards and a score.
• Vonn Bell had two interceptions, including a crucial fourth quarter one with Miami behind the wheel. Going into the night, he had just two interceptions in 96 career games.
• Tua Tagovailoa has been stretched off the field in the second quarter — more on that below — with what the Dolphins described as head and neck injuries. He was later officially diagnosed with a concussion. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Tagovailoa’s injury is the headline — and we’ll explain why in a moment — but to quickly wrap up the Bengals’ win: Burrow entered the night with just two completed passes on throws from at least 20 yards down the field this season. He had three on Thursday, including the touchdown throw to Higgins. Last year, Burrow led the NFL with 11 passing touchdowns on throws at least 20 yards down,

Defensively, the Bengals made big plays in key moments. They had saves on eight of 10 third downs, forced two turnovers and allowed a touchdown on just one of Miami’s three red-zone drives. The special teams even blocked a field goal.

The Bengals aren’t quite back to where they were at the end of last season. The racing game is struggling, and this was especially evident in the red zone. But after starting this season 0-2, defending champions AFC have been impressive in their response.

Honorable Mentions

Not so honorable mentions

Tua Tagovailoa stretched in the second quarter with head and neck injuries

Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been stretched off the field after hitting the ground hard on a sack late in the second quarter. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with head and neck injuries and later diagnosed with a concussion. As for more encouraging updateshe was conscious and had movement in all his extremities, and he was able to return to Miami with the team.

• Tagovailoa was doubtful to play in the game with back and ankle injuries sustained in Week 3 against the Invoices.
• In the Week 3 game, Tagovailoa took a hard hit, fell, got up, tripped and then fell back to the ground. Although he was eventually allowed to return in victory, NFLPA investigating Tagovailoa concussion test.
• Thursday’s play was perhaps even more gruesome. Tagovailoa immediately jumped into the fencing response, a response to head trauma in which the arms and fingers remain rigid at an unnatural angle. Here’s how head coach Mike McDaniel responded:
• McDaniel: “All of his team-mates, myself, we are all very worried. The best news we can give is that everything is checked that he didn’t have anything more serious than a concussion.”

Tagovailoa has a long history of injuries, but the two most recent, which occurred five days apart, are of particular concern.

NFL Expert Picks for highly anticipated Week 4 🏈

There’s never a shortage of storylines each week of the NFL season, but this one looks particularly full of good ones. On Sunday alone, we…

Not only are Allen and Jackson among MVP favorites, they’re arguably the two most fun players in the league, and in his choicesour NFL expert John Breech think it should be played out on the pitch.

• Cylinder head: “Whatever the Ravens have planned to pay Jackson in his next contract extension, they may want to go ahead and double him. … Allen is the only QB in the NFL to go for more than 1,000 yards passing in three games this year, and depending on how the Ravens play, Allen could top 1,000 yards in Week 4 alone. The Pick: Bills 37-30 vs. Ravens“

As for the Chiefs-Buccaneers, who will indeed be played in Tampa following Hurricane Ian, here’s who likes senior NFL writer Pete Prisco.

Here are the complete selections from our experts:

John Breche | Pete Prisco | TylerSullivan

Expert Picks for Busy College Football Saturday 🏈

Be sure to stock up on some great snacks today, because you might not be leaving your couch this weekend. Not only is the NFL slate exceptional, but so is the college football schedule, and we’re here to prepare you.

Features of this week five ranked against ranked matchesincluding a battle in the top 10 between No. 5 Clemson and No. 10 Status NC. Our college football reporter Barrett Sallee waiting for a thriller.

• Room: “Clemson will win the battle at the line of scrimmage and force Dennis Leary to make a few mistakes that will prevent this from becoming a shootout. Tigers running back Will Shipley will take over late and prevent DJ Uiagalelei to have to make the difference for the second week in a row. This one will come down to the last practice or two, and the Tigers will be hanging on to keep their CFP chances alive. Prediction: NC State (+6.5)“

While Barrett expects Clemson to keep his CFP hopes alive, fellow college football pundit Shehan Jeyarajah has another title contender dropping shockingly this weekend in his teams on high alert.

Our college football experts have done a tremendous job preparing us for a huge week. Here’s what else I would recommend:

MLB Roundup: Huge Mets-Braves streak on tap; Blue Jays clinch playoff berth ⚾

With the MLB playoffs a week away and a huge weekend on deck, let’s catch up on everything that’s happening in baseball.

• The AL is quite simple: Astros, Yankees and Guardians clinched their respective divisions. Thursday, the blue jays earned a Wild Card spot.
• The Rays and sailors are near-locks for the remaining AL Wild Card spots.
• As for the NL, the Dodgers and Cardinals clinched their division. Beyond that, there’s a lot in the air.

Both Dishes and brave have clinched playoff berths, but they have their sights set on the NL East crown (and a Wild Card bye). New York is one game ahead of Atlantaand they come together to a three-game series starting tonight. Our MLB scribe Mike Axisa has excellent overview of this hinge series.

The NL Wild Card race has become interesting thanks to the Phillies, who just got swept away speak Cubs. Here’s what the race looks like:

• 1. Braves (13½ games, playoff berth)
• 2. Padres (2½ games up)
• 3. Phillies (–)
• 4. Brewers (½ return match)

World Cup Power Rankings: USMNT falls, top tier remains stable ⚽

The final tune-up window before the World Cup is over, and action in Qatar kicks off in just 51 days. That means it’s time for the football guru James Benge’s World Cup power rankingand it’s no surprise that USA fell significantly after a pair of mediocre games.

• Benge: “24. United States (-10) — Their 2-0 loss against Japan was as mediocre a performance as any by a nation that sees itself as eventually a major force in football; in almost every aspect of their game, Gregg BerhalterThe team seemed to make the wrong impression of an antiquated team that had been outdated in the modern game. What is no less worrying is that they have shown rather limited signs of progress against Saudi Arabia. It’s just not a team that looks like it’s putting the ball in the net.”

As for the teams that seem the strongest, Brazil and Argentina held strong at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and are the only members of James’ “favorite” tier.

You can see the full ranking here.

What we’re watching this weekend 📺

All weekend we watch the NWSL and A-series on Paramount+.

Friday

🏈 No. 15 Washington at UCLA10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏈 No. 4 Michigan at IowaNoon on Fox
🏈 No. 7 Kentucky at No. 14 Ole MissNoon on ESPN
🏈 No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas3:30 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+
🏈 Oklahoma State No. 9 at No. 16 Baylor3:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 10 NC State at No. 5 Clemson7:30 p.m. on ABC

Sunday

🏈 Here’s the NFL Week 4 schedule.
⚾ Meals at the Braves7 p.m. on ESPN