Courtesy of the New England Patriots
Odds: Patriots -7.5, O/U: 50.5
Kickoff: The Patriots visit the struggling Cincinnati Bengals today. The Bengals have lost 7 of 8 games and have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NFL. They have been historically bad.
The Patriots on the other hand have won eight straight and look like a legitimate contender in the AFC. Luckily for them, they will not have to deal with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase or Trey Hendricksen today. No execuses today. This is a game they should win.
Here are four keys for the Patriots.
1st Down: Aggressive offensive play calling early: Come out slinging and be aggressive with the play calling early. Cincinnati’s defense is paper thin. They might as well not be on the field. The Patriots have to capitalize on their piss poor secondary and take shots early.
2nd Down: Throw Flacco off his spot: The grizzled veteran can still throw with the best of them and be a problem. The Patriots have to get pressure on him and throw him off his spot. Don’t let him get comfortable, if he does, the Patriots defense could be in for a long afternoon.
3rd Down: Control the line of scrimmage: The Patriots must win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They cannot allow the Bengals to get pressure on Maye and the run defense needs to be stout against Chase Brown. It will be easier said than done without Milton Williams.
4th Down: Limit the big plays: The Bengals offense still has enough skill with Tee Higgins and company to make big plays. The Patriots have to be sound in the secondary and not give up big plays, otherwise the Bengals will stay in this game.
Extra Points: The New England Patriots will travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals for the second straight season. The Patriots kicked off the 2024 season with a 16-10 win at Cincinnati last year on Sept. 8.
This week’s game will be the 29th meeting between the two teams. New England leads the all-time series by a 18-10 margin in a series that dates back to 1968. The Patriots have emerged victorious in eight of the last 10 meetings.
New England is 10-3 all-time at home against Cincinnati, including 4-1 at Gillette Stadium. With the victory last season, the Patriots took an 8-7 lead in road games. The Patriots are 4-2 in games at Paul Brown Stadium / Paycor Stadium. (Courtesy of patriots.com/ Patriots Communications)
Final Drive: Given the current state of the Bengals, the Patriots should take care of business and win today. That being said, they cannot take this team lightly. This is the NFL. The talent gap is not that wide. The Patriots need to take care of business today.