Miami fell to Cincinnati 27-6 on December 25 in a Week 17 regular season matchup at home. The loss leaves Miami with a 6-10 record and eliminated from playoff contention. Cincinnati improved to 14-2, clinching their division and extending their winning streak to 11 games.

Cincinnati opened the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Thomas Evans early in the first quarter, taking a 3-0 lead. Miami responded in the second quarter with a 34-yard field goal from Daniel Liller to tie the score at 3-3. The Bengals struck back late in the second quarter with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joseph Galle to Angel Greve, followed by an extra point from Evans, pushing Cincinnati ahead 10-3 at halftime.

Miami's only other points came in the third quarter on a 51-yard field goal by Liller to narrow the gap to 10-6. However, Cincinnati answered immediately with a kickoff return touchdown by George Hanson—a 100-yard runback—that extended the lead to 17-6 after Evans' extra point.

The Bengals added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard Galle pass to Hanson, followed by another Evans extra point, making the score 24-6. Cincinnati capped off the scoring with a late field goal from Evans from 34 yards out for the final margin.

Miami quarterback Thomas Pugliese passed for 201 yards on 19 completions of 38 attempts but was unable to find the end zone. The Miami rushing attack was limited to 51 yards on 18 carries. Daniel Liller was a bright spot in the kicking game, converting both field goal attempts.

Cincinnati quarterback Joseph Galle completed 21 of 28 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Their running back John Brown totaled 95 rushing yards and added 14 receiving yards. Wide receivers Angel Greve and George Hanson each contributed touchdown receptions, with Greve hauling in 81 yards and Hanson 25.

Defensively, Cincinnati forced two Miami fumbles and recovered both, with cornerback Zachary Haws and middle linebacker Alfred Shelton credited for forcing fumbles. Miami recorded one sack but struggled to generate turnovers or stop Cincinnati's offense effectively.

Miami converted only 5 of 16 third downs and continued to face challenges in the red zone, failing to score a touchdown despite one red zone visit. Penalties were minor for both teams, with Miami committing three for 20 yards and Cincinnati also three for 27 yards.

With this loss, Miami closes the season 6-10, secure in second place in their division but eliminated from postseason play. Cincinnati's dominant performance secures them the division title and a strong position heading into the playoffs.

Head coach Jesse Graham’s squad will look to regroup after an uneven offense struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities against a well-executing Cincinnati team coached by John Clegg.