MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins-Cincinnati Bengals game on Sunday, Dec. 21 at Hard Rock Stadium has been moved to a 1 p.m. start time, the NFL announced late Monday afternoon.
The game, originally scheduled for an 8 p.m. start, will be televised on CBS.
Instead of Dolphins vs. Bengals, the NFL will televise the New England Patriots’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in that Sunday night slot.
The change to the Miami-Cincinnati start time means the Dolphins (6-7), who are on a four-game winning streak and have won five of their past six games, will have one fewer prime time TV game this season.
When the Dolphins-Bengals game was originally scheduled it seemed as though it would be a crucial game for the AFC playoff picture with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa battling Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow in a high-profile matchup.
However, both teams got off to slow starts and now both are longshots to make the playoffs. The Bengals are 4-9 and just learned that edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, one of the league’s best, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after he has abdominal surgery.
The last time the Dolphins and Bengals played was 2022, a 27-15 Cincinnati victory that saw Tagovailoa briefly hospitalized after sustaining a concussion in a nationally-televised Thursday night game.
The Dolphins’ previous prime time TV games this season were a 31-21 loss at the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 18, a 27-21 win over the New York Jets on Monday, Sept. 29, a 28-6 loss to Baltimore on Thursday, Oct. 30, and a 16-13 overtime win over the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 16.
The Dolphins’ next prime time TV game is next week at Pittsburgh (7-6) on Monday night.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/08/dolphins-bengals-game-time-changed-date-remains-same/

