Who’s hot, who’s not after the Dolphins’ loss to the Bengals

The Dolphins suffered their first loss of the season in a 27-15 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night and faced an even worse development after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off on a stretcher with a concussion.

Here’s a look at who’s hot — and who’s not — after the loss.

Who’s hot

▪ Tyreek Hill: The wide receiver had a quiet game in the team’s win over the Buffalo Bills (two catches, 33 yards) but responded well under the lights. He recorded 10 receptions for 160 yards, both game highs, including a bobbling 64-yard catch that set up Jason Sanders’ short field goal to take a 15-14 lead late in the third quarter.

The Dolphins also continued to showcase Hill all over the field. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the team used presnap motion on all 12 of their offensive plays in the first quarter, and Hill was in motion on half of those plays. Hill also ran a total of 1,386 yards of distance from snap to whistle on scrimmage plays, which was a season high and nearly 200 more yards than any other player on the field.

▪ Raheem Mostert: The running back has divided carries almost evenly with Chase Edmonds but led the position group with 46 snaps Thursday and had his best game to date. Mostert rushed for a season-high 69 rushing yards, and his explosiveness injected life into a running game that has struggled at times in the first month of the season.

Who’s not

▪ Xavien Howard: The Pro Bowl cornerback hasn’t played to his usual standard to start the season and struggled against the Bengals. He mainly lined up against wide receiver Tee Higgins and allowed three catches for 85 yards in the matchup, including a 59-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Howard exited the game in the third quarter after re-aggravating a lingering groin injury. He was seen on the sideline with a big wrap around his right thigh.

▪ Jason Sanders: The 2020 Pro Bowl kicker made his first two attempts Thursday, including a 48-yarder in the second quarter. But then Sanders’ 52-yard attempt was blocked and the Bengals used the short field to extend their lead on Higgins’ score. Sanders later missed an extra point attempt that hit the right upright. The Dolphins were hoping for a resurgence from their special teams unit after it struggled in 2021. Sanders’ misses were his first of the season but still a microcosm of a unit that hasn’t been able to string together week-to-week consistency.