The Cincinnati Bengals are facing off against the 0-4 Miami Dolphins in Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins a bit banged up heading into this matchup, the Bengals could really use their running game to go off.
Fortunately, Chase Brown and Samaje Perine could be in store for a massive Week 5 performance. While facing an 0-4 team does indicate a good game could be coming for the Bengals, there is one specific reason why this could be a massive week for Brown.
ESPN’s Seth Walder made a bold prediction that the Bengals’ running game would explode in Week 5. The reason? The Bengals utilize inside zone runs often, and the Dolphins are one of the worst teams in the league at stopping such plays this season.
Why Chase Brown is poised to have a big Week 5 game vs. Dolphins
“The Bengals will average at least 5.0 yards per inside zone run,” Walder predicts. “The. Bengals run inside zone 33% of the time — second most in the NFL — and the Dolphins have allowed 4.6 yards per inside zone run, second most.”
While Walder is making a bold prediction, the two statistics he shared make this seem like a very realistic outcome for the Bengals’ running game this week.
Cincinnati runs the second-most inside zone runs of any team in the NFL, and they’re now going up against a defense that allows the second-most yards-per-carry on inside zone runs.
MORE: Trevor Lawrence finally erased one strange hole from his NFL resume
It would be a shocker if this Bengals offense couldn’t run the ball well this week. Brown has flashed potential and has the ability to run at a very high clip in a good situation.
For Brown and the Bengals, it might not get any easier than this. This is about as good of a matchup as they’ll get all season long.
All the signs are pointing towards the Bengals, led by Brown, dominating the Dolphins’ weak defense in Week 5.
Bengals fans should expect to see a lot of Brown on Sunday, as this matchup against the 0-4 Dolphins should see a heavy dosage of Brown out of the backfield, especially with Chase and Higgins coming into the matchup banged up.
