MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Emotions were boiling Sunday between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals when two separate scuffles led to five players being ejected, including Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard, lead receiver DeVante Parker and Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd.
The most significant of the skirmishes came early in the fourth quarter in what had already been a chippy game. Bengals special-teams player Mike Thomas hit Dolphins returner Jakeem Grant very early as he tried to catch a punt, leading to significant commotion near the Bengals’ sideline with several Dolphins players taking exception to the hit.
After some pushing and shoving, Bengals safety Shawn Williams gave Parker a violent shove to the head, which led Parker to throw some punches. Receiver Mack Hollins came to the defense of Parker, throwing some hands as well. Williams, Parker and Hollins were all ejected in the exchange.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores was irate with the Bengals after what he perceived as a cheap shot on Grant, and he marched across the field nearly to the Bengals’ sideline, yelling at an unidentified person while being pulled back toward his own sideline by his head of security. It was a culmination of increased chippiness from the Bengals as the Dolphins started to pull away in the game.
The first sign of chippiness came late in the second quarter, when Howard and Boyd were both ejected for what referees called “throwing a punch.”
Boyd and Howard got tangled up in a scuffle out of bounds after a third-down incompletion. The ejections appeared to be an overreaction, as replays showed that both players were going back and forth with pushes, and it does not appear that a closed-fist punch was thrown or landed. Regardless, both players were sent off after a lengthy discussion.
To make matters more puzzling, Boyd was the only player given a unnecessary roughness penalty, which backed the Bengals up 15 yards and led to a 53-yard missed field goal by Randy Bullock.
Boyd and Howard were having strong first halves. Howard extended his NFL-best interception lead by nabbing his eighth interception of the year off Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen in the first quarter, while Boyd scored a 72-yard touchdown just a few plays later.
The Bengals led 7-6 at halftime of what was a sloppy first half of football filled with costly penalties, drops and these two key ejections.
Rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene will fill in for Howard, while veteran receiver Alex Erickson steps in for Boyd.