Riley Patterson's missed extra point off the upright sealed a 31-24 win for Cincinnati, handing -6.5 spread bettors an improbable cover
Oct 11, 2026 at 5:15 pm ET • 1 min read
The Cincinnati Bengals took a trip to South Beach in Week 5, hoping to snap a two-game skid against the winless Miami Dolphins. The Bengals closed as seven-point favorites at most sportsbooks, and 6.5-point favorites at others. A Bengals cover didn't feel in doubt through the majority of the game.
By halftime, the Bengals had acquired a 14-point lead thanks to three passing touchdowns from star quarterback Joe Burrow. That lead increased to 18 points by the time we reached the fourth quarter after a 45-yard touchdown reception by Ja'Marr Chase.
However, Malik Willis trimmed the Bengals' lead to 10 points with a touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr., and a successful two-point conversion toss to Greg Dulcich with seven minutes remaining in the final quarter. Following a Bengals punt, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen stripped Willis of the ball deep in Dolphins territory and recovered it at Miami's 10-yard line. It looked like the game was well in hand.
The Dolphins then held the Bengals to a 26-yard field goal, which increased Cincinnati's lead back to 13 points. Willis then took his offense 61 yards down the field and punched in a one-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to seven points with under one minute to play.
Since a two-point conversion wouldn't do anything, the Dolphins trotted out Riley Patterson for the extra point in hopes of making it a six-point game. Then, the Dolphins could try for the onside kick. But Patterson doinked the kick off the left upright!
The Dolphins couldn't recover their onside kick, and the Bengals took two kneel-downs to secure a 31-24 victory! Bengals -6.5 bettors scored a wild win, while the +7 bettors out there at least got a push. Talk about a bad beat for those backing the Dolphins +6.5!
The 3-2 Bengals are off to their best five-game start since 2021, the year they reached the Super Bowl, while the 0-5 Dolphins just became the fifth team since 1950 to not hold a lead in any of their first five games.
