It appears reports of the New England Patriots’ demise were greatly exaggerated.
Tom Brady threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, Stevan Ridley gained 113 yards rushing, Rob Gronkowski had 100 receiving yards, and the Patriots recovered three Cincinnati fumbles as they dismantled the Bengals 43-17. Cincy becomes the last team to lose in the NFL this year, falling to 3-1 on the season. The Patriots improve to 3-2.
The Patriots came out playing inspired football after all of the criticism and controversy surrounding the team during the week, and quickly led 14-0 following touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game. A week after looking positively anemic in scoring just 14 points against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots offense was clicking all night long as they avoided going three-and-out on each of their 11 possessions.
Despite the loss, the Bengals got a decent (in unspectacular) performance out of Andy Dalton, who went 15 of 24 for 204 yards and two touchdowns. The big difference was on the ground, where the visitors—led by Giovani Bernard—gained just 79 yards compared to New England’s 220. The difference in rushing led to a huge disparity in time of possession, which saw the Patriots hold the ball for 38:54 versus the Bengals’ 21:04.
The Patriots will next hit the road to play the surprising Buffalo Bills, who rallied to beat the Detroit Lions today on the road. The Bengals will return home to face a stern test from the Carolina Panthers, who likewise had a late comeback win today as they knocked off the Chicago Bears.
