The Miami Dolphins hosted the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday in a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, one of eight games in the NFL's early Sunday window in Week 5.
Miami went into the game at 0-4, the only winless record among the teams in action in the early window, and in urgent need of a turnaround at home. Cincinnati arrived at 2-2 and was listed as a seven-point favourite on the road before kickoff.
The matchup was part of a 13-game Sunday slate across the league, which opened with the league's London game in the morning and was set to close with a Sunday night game in Atlanta and a Monday night game in Los Angeles.
For Miami, the afternoon was about more than one result: with the season approaching its midpoint, a home win over a conference opponent was the simplest way to keep any realistic playoff conversation alive.
