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Jordan Battle told everyone what he was looking for. Then he found it twice before halftime. The Cincinnati Bengals safety intercepted Malik Willis in the first half Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium and picked him off again later in the half, three days after he said the Miami Dolphins quarterback gives away his throws.
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“He has a little slight little tap before every throw, though, so I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball,” Battle said Thursday, in comments recorded by Mike Petraglia. We covered how Battle looked to exploit that weakness earlier in the week.
Jeff Hafley said there was nothing to it
Miami’s head coach didn’t buy it. Jeff Hafley said Friday that he has studied quarterbacks for more than 25 years and that patting the ball before a throw is “not uncommon,” according to the Miami Herald. He also said “any opponent that wants to share our tendencies with us, we’ll take any time.” We also covered Hafley dismissing the theory before the game.
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The first half didn’t help his case. Willis was 7 of 14 for 70 yards with both interceptions, and Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes as the Bengals took a 21-7 lead into the locker room.
Willis came in under pressure already. He had completed 56.3% of his passes for 712 yards with one touchdown pass and two interceptions through four games for the winless Dolphins, and he called his last outing, a 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, “not good enough.” He has now matched his season interception total in one half, and whether Battle actually read a tap or simply read the quarterback, the Bengals got exactly what their safety said they would.
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More on the Bengals
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- Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins NFL Prediction, Picks & Odds for Week 5
- Malik Willis’ 1 TD Pass and an 18-Tackle Rookie: 5 Things Bengals Must Know About the Dolphins
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM.