Dexter Lawrence gave Cincinnati’s rebuilt defense a highlight-reel moment Sunday, vaulting across the line to deny Miami quarterback Malik Willis on a 1-yard sneak attempt in the first quarter.
The Dolphins scored on the following snap, but Lawrence’s effort still stood out in Cincinnati’s win. The 350-pound defensive tackle cleared the middle of the formation and met Willis before he could reach the goal line.
Quick facts
- Dexter Lawrence stopped Malik Willis short on a fourth-and-goal-style sneak from the 1-yard line.
- Miami scored on the next play despite Lawrence’s initial goal-line denial.
- Lawrence, Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe have helped reshape Cincinnati’s defensive front.
- Through five games, Mafe has 25 quarterback pressures, Allen has 16 and Lawrence has 15.
Coach Zac Taylor said Monday that he wants to preserve an image of the play for the Bengals’ defensive meeting room. Watching the tape, Taylor said, Lawrence looked like “a giant flying squirrel” coming over the center.
“That was pretty cool,” Taylor said. “I want to freeze-frame that, take a picture of it, blow it up and put it in the room somewhere.”
Taylor added that the sight would be intimidating for any quarterback lining up behind center. Lawrence’s early work in Cincinnati has reinforced that point.
The Bengals’ offseason overhaul up front has changed the complexion of the defense, with Lawrence and Allen adding strength to an interior that had previously been vulnerable. Mafe has also supplied consistent edge pressure.
Through five games, the three newcomers sit atop Cincinnati’s pressure leaders. Mafe’s 25 pressures lead the club, followed by Allen’s 16 and Lawrence’s 15.
Lawrence’s goal-line leap was not enough to keep Miami out of the end zone on that possession, but it offered another indication of the disruptive presence Cincinnati expects from its new defensive tackle as the 2026 season moves forward.
