None of that is locked in with the regular season still weeks away — both teams have six games to play before this one, and rosters will look different by October. But the shape of these two franchises is already coming into focus, and it's a study in contrasts: Cincinnati doubling down on continuity, Miami blowing it up and starting from scratch.
Burrow finished last season white-hot in this particular matchup, dropping 45 on Miami and 37 on Arizona in back-to-back weeks before a flat finish against Cleveland closed out a disappointing 6-11 campaign. Chase and Higgins were never the problem — this passing attack can hang with anyone when the pieces are healthy, and both receivers have looked sharp early in camp.
The bigger question for Cincinnati is whether the defensive front holds up; camp has produced more injury updates than highlights there. Miami's issue runs deeper — Willis is stepping into his first career shot as a Week 1 starter, and Hafley's staff, alongside new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, keeps publicly rejecting the word 'rebuild' even as the roster trends younger and less proven by the week.
Miami's best asset might be De'Von Achane, who looked like himself with a touchdown on limited preseason work, plus a defense that at least knows Hafley's scheme from the inside out. Still, this is a team introducing a new coach, new quarterback and new front office all at once, against a club running back a top-tier arm and two proven receivers. That gap is the whole story here — for now.