MIAMI GARDENS — Splat.

The Dolphins (6-9) played a meaningless game Sunday in a meaningless way. Cincinnati (5-10) demolished the Dolphins 45-21 by scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions from the end of the first half into the fourth quarter.

Here are 10 thoughts on the game:

1. Stat of the Game: 20 for 30, 160 yards, two interceptions and a 66 rating. Those are Quinn Ewers’ stats. The question of the day was how the seventh-round rookie quarterback would play in his first Dolphins start. Answer: About what you’d expect of a seventh-round rookie. A couple of good early throws were quickly wiped out as this offense struggled vs. Cincinnati’s league-worst defense.

2. For the first time this season, the Dolphins faced a downfield, passing offense led by an elite quarterback and with elite receivers. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow had his way, too. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 308 yards, four touchdowns and a 146.2 rating before leaving early in the fourth quarter. Receivers Ja’Marr Chase (9-109) and Tee Higgins (3-53) posed the most dangerous playmakers the Dolphins have faced this year. It’s odd to think this is the first time they’ve faced a downfield passing team. But Buffalo has no downfield receivers for Josh Allen. New England has developed a good downfield game, but it was only the second game Drake Maye and coordinator Josh McDaniels were together when they beat the Dolphins. Washington didn’t have Jayden Daniels or Terry McLaurin. So, this was it and it showed how fortunate the Dolphins defense was in not facing strong passing attacks.

3. Stat of the Game II:  21-0. That’s how much the Bengals outscored the Dolphins in the third quarter. Throw in the possession before half and the third-quarter drive that finished in the fourth quarter and the Bengals had five straight touchdown possessions. All that was similar to last week’s loss at Pittsburgh. The Dolphins have been outscored 113-27 in the third quarter. That’s the worst differential in the league. Can you say, “Adjustments?”

4. Draft Update: The Dolphins stand at 11th pending 10th-pick Atlanta’s game against Arizona. They need help moving higher, though. The Dolphins record is 6-9 now. Cincinnati, at 5-10, currently holds the ninth pick.

5. Does Zach Wilson get the start next Sunday? Why not? Wilson said he was “confused” about being bypassed as the starter for Ewers when Tua Tagovailoa was benched. The short answers is Sean Payton was right in not even having him as the backup last year in Denver. Maybe Mike McDaniel saw the same. Then again, Ewers didn’t state his case too well on Sunday. Why not Wilson?

6. It was hard to watch Burrow on the field and Tua on the sideline and not think of these teams’ 2019 meeting where Cincinnati secured the No. 1 pick. Cincinnati was 2-12 entering that Dec. 21 game. The Dolphins were 3-11. So, with a loss the Dolphins had a chance for the No. 1 pick that the front office was tanking to get. The Dolphins led in the fourth quarter, 35-12. Cincinnati then scored 23 points in the final 5:01 to tie it. Imagine the different fate if Cincinnati had won in overtime. As it was, Jason Sanders won the game with a 37-yard field goal in overtime and the draft order was history.

7. Darren Waller keeps showing his value when he’s healthy. That’s not to dismiss the health issues in his comeback season at age 33. But he had three catches for 40 yards in Sunday’s first half. He had seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns last week in Pittsburgh. He’s only played eight games this year, missing a couple games at the start and a five-game stretch in the middle. In them, he has 23 catches for 283 yards with six touchdowns. Yes, a 6-6 tight end is a red-zone target as his touchdown total shows. The issue with Waller wasn’t signing him. It was relying on him with no other receiving tight end on the roster this summer (Greg Dulcich was signed in mid-season).

8. Stat of the Game (almost): The Dolphins tried to get their first running first down by a quarterback since Tua got his only one this season in the third week against Buffalo. On fourth-and-1, Ewers tried a new play for this offense — the quarterback sneak. He came up short.

9. Quick Hits:

*De’Von Achane had a 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Dolphins a brief lead. He had 15 carries for 81 yards on the game.

*Tua spent the day writing before each play on a greaseboard — formations, most likely — and otherwise stood quietly on the sideline.

*Zach Sieler got a sack for third straight week and has 5.5 for the season.

*Cincinnati’s game captains were former Dolphins Mike Gesicki and Ted Karras. Why not send out former Dolphins quarterback coach and current Bengals coach Zac Taylor? Defensive coordinator Al Golden?

10. Next Week: Tampa Bay at Dolphins. This game will mean something to Tampa Bay. It lost at Carolina on Sunday and carries a 7-8 record into Hard Rock Stadium, while the Panthers improved to 8-7. After a good start, Tampa has lost seven of its past eight games.