Patriots (10-3) at Bengals (1-12)
Bengals schedule
L L L L L L L L ....... atSeattle ....... 21-20 .... San Francisco .... 41-17 ....... atBuffalo ....... 21-17 ..... atPittsburgh ..... 27-3 ......... Arizona ......... 26-23 ..... at Baltimore ..... 23-17 ..... Jacksonville ..... 27-17 at LA Rams (Lon.) 24-10 BYE
L ....... Baltimore ....... 49-13 L ...... at Oakland ...... 17-10 L ...... Pittsburgh ...... 16-10 W ......... N.Y. Jets ......... 22-6 L ..... at Cleveland ..... 27-19 Dec. 15 ... New England ... 1 Dec. 22 ....... at Miami ....... 1 Dec. 29 ..... Cleveland ..... 1
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 91⁄2
Patriots’ key to victory: Lean on the running backs through the air. New England’s ground game has lagged at times this season, but RBs Rex Burkhead and James White boast healthy averages on a minimum of 20 catches. In the mid-December cold, and on the road against a revived Cincinnati pass rush, the Patriots should exploit a Bengals defense that has struggled all season to contain running backs in the passing game.
Bengals’ key to victory: There isn’t a ton of wiggle room for a hobbled Cincinnati offense against the league’s top-ranked defense, even if WR A.J. Green unexpectedly makes his season debut. The key resides on the defensive side, where DEs Carlos Dunlap and Carl Lawson will have to get after Patriots QB Tom Brady and force him into game-changing mistakes.
Matchup to watch: Patriots’ linebackers vs. Bengals RB Joe Mixon. Cincinnati’s running game has come alive in recent weeks with the return of OT Cordy Glenn and changes in approach up front. If the Patriots contain Mixon, it will place overwhelming pressure on QB Andy Dalton. Mixon, however, had his first rushing score and 100-yard game on the season in recent weeks, not to mention an uptick in usage via passes.
Who wins? The Patriots’ defense is suffocating, and the offense can scheme up ways to exploit one of the NFL’s worst defenses. The Bengals have scored more than 20 points in a game twice all season and are unlikely to match a team coming off two straight December losses.
Patriots, 30-13
Patriots