The Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) put their perfect record on the line in a showdown at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots (2-2).
Bengals vs. Patriots 2014: Cincinnati looks to remain unbeaten
The Bengals put their undefeated record on the line against a reeling 2-2 Patriots team on Sunday night.
John Grieshop
The Bengals are looking to improve to 4-0 for the just the second time in the last 25 seasons and the first time since 2005, when the team finished 11-5, winning the NFC North before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card game. That's a familiar script for fans in the Queen City, who have experienced a ton of regular season success under coach Marvin Lewis (4 division titles) but haven't celebrated a win in the postseason since 1990.
The Patriots, on the other hand, are perennial Super Bowl contenders and seemingly a threat to make a deep postseason run every year. However, their unprecedented run of success over the last decade may be coming to an end this season. New England is 2-2 at the quarter-pole of the season and trying to avoid its first sub-.500 record after five games since 2001. That 2001 season did end with a win in Super Bowl XXXVI, so a loss on Sunday would not doom the Patriots’ season, but it might bring even more questions about whether this is the end of an era of dominance in New England.
Digits
The Bengals have emerged as one the NFL's elite teams this season thanks to a defense that is allowing a league-low 11 points per game and less than 5 yards per play. The only other team in the last four seasons to allow 33 points or fewer in their first three games was last year's Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks, a team that looks very similar to this Cincinnati squad. Like the Seahawks, the strength of the Bengals defense is in the secondary, which leads the league in opponent completion percentage (54.3%) and passer rating (56.9).
Much of the Patriots’ success over the last decade has been built on a dynamic offense that has not ranked lower than eighth in the league in points per game since 2005. It’s a much different story in New England this season, where the struggles on the offensive side of the ball have been acute. They are ranked just 24th in scoring offense, which would be their lowest mark since coach Bill Belichick’s first season in 2000, and their ranking of 29th in total offense would be the worst in franchise history.
The Patriots offensive woes combined with the Bengals dominating defense this season does not appear to give New England much of a chance to win this game on Sunday night. However, they do have history on their side. The Patriots have won seven of the last nine matchups with the Bengals and have thrived in spotlight games, going 12-4 in primetime over the last five seasons. The Bengals, on the other hand, have struggled when the sun goes down with an awful 2-11 record in their last 13 primetime games.
Who to watch
Tom Brady - The 37-year-old's struggles this season have caused many to question whether Brady is still an elite quarterback. There is no doubt that Brady is enduring his worst season in the NFL -- his completion percentage, passer rating, and yards per attempt would all be career-lows -- and the most shocking part of his decline is his poor accuracy numbers. Twenty-six percent of his pass attempts have been underthrown or overthrown, the third-highest percentage in the league.
Rob Gronkowski - The two-time Pro Bowler had a historic start to his career with 38 touchdown catches in his first three seasons (2010-12), the most by any tight end in NFL history through three seasons and the third-most of any receiver behind only Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. However, injuries limited him to just seven games last year, and he is struggling this season despite being fully healthy. The normally sure-handed Gronkowski has caught just 48 percent of his targets this year, the lowest rate among 36 qualified tight ends.
Andy Dalton - When you have as good a defense as the Bengals, you need a quarterback that can manage the game and avoid mistakes. So far this season Dalton has proved to be the perfect fit under center in Cincinnati. He is completing a career-best 65.5 percent of his passes and has thrown just one interception in 84 attempts. If Dalton can continue to play with the same efficiency and smarts that he has shown in the first three games, the Bengals have a good chance of finally making a deep playoff run this season.
How to watch
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Online streaming: NBCSports.com, Verizon NFL Mobile
The Venue
Gillette Stadium has been the home of the Patriots since 2002, when it replaced the old Foxboro Stadium. The Patriots have enjoyed an unprecedented run of success there over the past decade, especially against conference foes. The Patriots have won 31 straight regular-season home games against AFC opponents since losing to the Steelers in Week 13 of the 2008 season, the longest home win streak in conference games since the 1970 merger.
Odds
The game is currently a pick ‘em, with the over/under set at 46, according to Oddshark.com.
Preliminary judgment
Most of the experts at CBS Sports and ESPN are picking the Bengals to win on the road, though our own SB Nation expert panel is nearly split on the game, with the Bengals holding a slight 4-3 edge. I tend to agree with those that are picking Cincinnati. The Patriots offensive struggles are real, and even homefield advantage is not enough to overcome a matchup against the league’s best defense.
Further reading
For more on the Bengals, check out Cincy Jungle. For additional coverage of the Patriots, head on over to Pats Pulpit.
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