Miami
Dolphins
15-3
34
FINAL
37
Cincinnati
Bengals
16-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling conference championship matchup, the Cincinnati Bengals narrowly defeated the Miami Dolphins 37-34, securing their spot in the Super Bowl. Both teams fought hard, but the Bengals' resilience proved decisive in this tightly contested contest.
Zach Wilson shone under pressure for Cincinnati, throwing two touchdown passes that energized the team and kept the Dolphins' defense on their heels. On the other side, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele of Miami led in passing yards with 266, showcasing his ability to move the ball effectively despite the defeat. Ian Strong was a standout target for Wilson, racking up an impressive 169 receiving yards that played a crucial role in the Bengals' offensive success.
Defensively, the Bengals made key plays that shifted momentum in their favor. Rueben Bain Jr. was a force, accumulating four tackles and three sacks, consistently disrupting Miami's offensive rhythm. The game's turning point came when Ernest Jones IV intercepted a pass, halting a promising Dolphins drive and allowing the Bengals to maintain their lead in the final moments.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | QB | 21 | 11 | 52% | 266 | 2 | 3 | 89.9 |
| Joe Milton | QB | 13 | 8 | 62% | 234 | 2 | 0 | 145.0 |
| Zach Wilson | QB | 8 | 3 | 38% | 81 | 2 | 0 | 115.1 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 10 | 3 | 30% | 65 | 0 | 3 | 14.5 |
| Marco Toney | QB | 3 | 1 | 33% | 59 | 1 | 0 | 121.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleek Brown | HB | 7 | 26 | 3.7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | QB | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Mike Washington Jr | HB | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Nick Singleton | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Marco Toney | QB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Dakota Phibbs | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Milton | QB | 1 | -10 | -10.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Strong | WR | 3 | 169 | 56.3 | 8 | 0 | 61 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Smith | WR | 6 | 136 | 22.7 | 9 | 1 | 43 | 0 |
| K.C. Ramsour | WR | 2 | 120 | 60.0 | 3 | 2 | 65 | 0 |
| Eli Stowers | TE | 3 | 107 | 35.7 | 73 | 1 | 54 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 1 | 59 | 59.0 | 21 | 1 | 59 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 18 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Decker DeGraaf | TE | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Dakota Phibbs | TE | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Mike Washington Jr | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Raleek Brown | HB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Hasley | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Nick Singleton | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Max Meredith | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Jones IV | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damarious Archer | DT | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Micah Parsons | REDG | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Flowers | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Branch | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Wiggins | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Maxx Crosby | LEDG | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Moore | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jaylen Shockey | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cashius Howell | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joshua Farmer | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Francis Brewu | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alontae Taylor | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Rodriguez | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 52 |
| Spencer Shrader | K | 2 | 2 | 4 | 48 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

