Game recap: Cincinnati Bengals hand Miami Dolphins first loss after Tua Tagovailoa injury

CINCINNATI — The Miami Dolphins, fresh off a defining win over the Buffalo Bills, had little time to rest on their laurels.

Mike McDaniel's crew faced the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in a matchup that pitted the NFL's hottest team against last year's Super Bowl losers.

Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa entered Thursday questionable to play after suffering an injury in the win over Buffalo.

Tagovailoa is enjoying a career-best start, completing 71.3 percent of passes for 925 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 117.8 overall passer rating.

Quarterback Joe Burrow leads the Bengals in search of back-to-back victories after losses to Dallas and Pittsburgh to open the season.

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11:23 p.m. | Bengals hand Dolphins first loss

The Bengals handed Miami its first loss of the Mike McDaniel era 27-15 on Thursday in Cincinnati.

Teddy Bridgewater finished 14-of-23 for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tyreek Hill caught 10 passes for 160 yards.

11:13 p.m. | Bengals expand lead

Cincinnati marched 45 yards to capitalize on the Bridgewater interception, capping the scoring drive with a play-action touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst.

The Bengals lead Miami 27-15 with 1:52 to play in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins have one timeout remaining.

Miami, the last remaining undefeated team in the AFC, is on the verge of its first loss under head coach Mike McDaniel.

11:08 p.m. | Teddy Bridgewater throws crucial INT

Vonn Bell records his second interception of the game, the first two-interception game of his NFL career, to kill a Dolphins drive in the red zone.

After long runs by Raheem Mostert and a reception by Tyreek Hill, Bridgewater threw an inaccurate pass which Bell intercepted and returned to midfield.

The Dolphins are using timeouts with 2:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, trailing 20-14.

10:45 p.m. | Bengals retake lead over Dolphins

The Bengals drove inside the Dolphins 1-yard line but couldn't crack the goal line as Andrew Van Ginkel helped Miami make an impressive stand. The Dolphins withstood back-to-back short-yardage carries by Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Cincinnati's 19-yard field goal gave the Bengals a 17-15 lead early in the fourth quarter.

10:35 p.m. | Dolphins grab first lead with Sanders field goal

Teddy Bridgewater connected with Tyreek Hill for a 65-yard pass, allowing the Dolphins to connect on a short field goal to take a 15-14 lead late in the third quarter.

The drive spanned 90 yards and brought the Dolphins within 2 yards of a go-ahead touchdown. Instead, Sanders connected on his third field goal of the evening to take the lead.

Cincinnati has had two second-half possessions and produced just one first down with a pair of punts.

10:25 p.m. | Bengals hang onto lead in third quarter

Neither team has scored midway through the third quarter as the Cincinnati Bengals lead the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.

Teddy Bridgewater and the Dolphins offense will begin their latest drive at the Miami 10-yard line.

9:50 p.m. | Dolphins trail Bengals at halftime

Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led Miami on a late scoring drive, pitching a shovel pass to running back Chase Edmonds for a short touchdown with just 9 seconds left in the first half.

Bridgewater's touchdown pass capped a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive which helped the Dolphins answer Cincinnati's long touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in the moments after Tagovailoa's injury.

Bridgewater has started his relief appearance 6-of-7 for 71 yards with the touchdown pass. Jason Sanders' extra point try hit the upright so Miami trails Cincinnati 14-12 at halftime.

Tagovailoa has been taken to a local hospital for further examination after his injury.

9:40 p.m. | Dolphins backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the field after a brutal injury, triggering backup Teddy Bridgewater into the game for Miami.

A first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Bridgewater played for five different NFL teams before landing with the Dolphins this offseason.

Bridgewater managed to move the Dolphins into field goal territory, but Jason Sanders' third attempt of the evening fell short. Miami trails Cincinnati 7-6 late second quarter.

9:25 p.m. | Tua Tagovailoa stretchered off after consecutive hits

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is down injured at midfield after suffering consecutive hits from the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

The last play saw Tagovailoa slammed onto his back by a Bengals defender in a similar fashion to the play which forced him to leave the field in last week's win over Buffalo.

Tagovailoa's fingers appeared to stiffen and contort in reaction to the brutal hit. Teammates gathered at midfield as he was stretchered off with the Dolphins trailing 7-6 in the second quarter.

9:13 p.m. | Jason Sanders hits second field goal

The Bengals failed to capitalize on the Tagovailoa interception as running back Joe Mixon was stuffed on a short fourth-down rush in Dolphins territory.

The Dolphins moved into Cincinnati territory thanks to a pass interference penalty committed while covering Tyreek Hill.

After Tagovailoa's third-down pass soared incomplete into the end zone, Sanders converted his second field goal of the night, this time from 48 yards.

Miami trails Cincinnati 7-6 midway through the second quarter.

8:52 p.m. | Tua Tagovailoa interception

Cincinnati defensive back Vonn Bell intercepted a deep ball attempt by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa toward Tyreek Hill. Bell undercut the underthrown pass to produce the game's first turnover.

Cincinnati takes over at their 29-yard line leading 7-3 in the last moments of the first quarter.

8:35 p.m. | Jason Sanders fields goal starts Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins settled for a short Jason Sanders field goal after a successful opening drive inside the Bengals 10-yard line.

On 3rd-and-4, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit running back Chase Edmonds in the hands in the back of the end zone, but the veteran couldn't complete the game-tying play.

Tagovailoa is 4-of-6 passing for 64 yards after the opening drive. He connected with Tyreek Hill for a 26 yard pass and Jaylen Waddle for a 20-yarder as well. Bengals lead 7-3, 6:05 first quarter.

8:25 p.m. | Joe Mixon gives Bengals early lead

The Cincinnati Bengals took the opening drive 75 yards capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by veteran running back Joe Mixon.

Joe Burrow was 4-of-5 passing for 43 yards on the opening drive. TIght end Hayden Hurst caught 2 passes for 25

8:15 p.m. | Dolphins win toss, defer

The Cincinnati Bengals receive the opening kickoff after Miami wins the toss and defers to the second half.

Jason Sanders' opening kick tumbles through the end zone for a touchback. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will start at the Cincinnati 25-yard line.

8:10 p.m. | Cincinnati Bengals 'White Out' stadium

The Dolphins will be wearing home aqua jerseys in the face of a "White Out" crowd in Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow led the Bengals (1-2) onto the field in white Tiger-print jerseys for a Thursday Night Football matchup with Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins (3-0). Kickoff is less than 10 minutes away.

7:50 p.m. | Mike McDaniel tabbed as 'most interesting man in football'

First-year Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was tabbed as the "most interesting man in football" by Prime broadcaster Charissa Thompson in pregame television introductions.

"He's awesome!" Prime analyst and former NFL Pro Bowler Richard Sherman said. "He shoots the s***. He's Harry Potter. He's a Wizard."

The Dolphins are off to a 3-0 start under the first-time head coach. Kickoff vs. the Dolphis is less than 30 minutes away.

6:50 p.m. | Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle are playing against the Bengals

As expected, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will face the Bengals tonight.

Tagovailoa suffered back and ankle injuries Sunday against the Bills and was questionable, but both he and coach Mike McDaniel were optimistic he would play.

One of his favorite targets, Jaylen Waddle, who also was questionable, will play despite a groin problem.

The full list of inactives:

MIAMI DOLPHINS

#3 RB Myles Gaskin

#9 CB Noah Igbinoghene

#11 WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.

#18 WR Erik Ezukanma

#82 TE Cethan Carter

#84 TE Hunter Long

CINCINNATI BENGALS

#32 HB Trayveon Williams

#70 OT D’Ante Smith

#79 G Jackson Carman

#89 TE Drew Sample

6:45 p.m. | Dolphins sign River Cracraft, elevate Larnel Coleman

The Dolphins have rewarded fourth-year wide receiver River Cracraft for his early-season touchdowns with a promotion to the 53-man active roster.

Cracraft has 2 catches for 13 yards this season, but both went for touchdowns in the Dolphins' stunning wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills the last two weeks.

6:20 p.m. | Dolphins practice leaked, but Miami was prepared

It’s not every day that video of a Dolphins regular-season practice finds its way online.

It’s also not every day that the Dolphins suit up 12 players on offense.

After the Dolphins’ plane touched down in Cincinnati for tonight’s game against the Bengals, they went to the University of Cincinnati to hold a walk-through. Apparently, they were aware people were watching — the facility reportedly is not secure — so they intentionally ran plays with a 12th player to foil snooping eyes.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported today that the league is looking into the situation to see if any competitive violation occurred.

Where and when will the Miami Dolphins play the Cincinnati Bengals?

Where: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

When: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, September 29

How can I watch Dolphins vs. Bengals on TV, streaming?

Live stream: Amazon Prime (30-day free trial), NFL+ (7-day free trial)

How can I listen to Miami Dolphins game on radio?

Radio: WQAM 560; SiriusXM Channel 226

Online radio: SiriusXM.com (Channel 819 for Dolphins feed, Channel 88 for national feed)

What's the latest betting line for Dolphins vs. Bengals?

Buffalo is a 6-point favorite over Miami, according to Oddsshark.com, a betting odds aggregator. The over-under is 52.5 points.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins vs Bengals game recap, highlights from NFL Week 4