Bengals Handed First Loss By Patriots
Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) fumbles the ball under pressure from New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals ended the game just like they started. They were behind from the first series and never recovered. This was a game that the Defense just couldn’t stop anything and the offense could barely get anything started.
The defense had no answer for the run and has allowed over 800 yards of total offense in their last two games. It seems that Paul Guenther’s bend but not break defense will not work against better than average teams. They were missing their top tackler, Vontaze Burfict, for the 2nd straight game with concussion symptoms and the Bengals really could have used him on Sunday night.
The offense couldn’t find a rhythm after their first drive ended in a missed field goal that fell short. Some could argue that the Mike Nugent should have hit a 52 yard field goal but inconsistencies this year has seem to plague the Bengals kicker. They didn’t get on the board until the second quarter when Mike Nugent hit from much closer to make it 14-3. The New England Patriots had an answer and scored to field goals to end the first half. AJ Green had little to no impact in the first half when he fumbled the ball to set the Patriots up for a field goal to take a 20-3 lead into half.
The second half was no better for the defense. They continued to let the Patriots offense run all over them. The Patriots had over 200 yards on the ground between Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley and 292 yards through the air. Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns and Ridley scored the lone rushing touchdown in the dominating victory. The offense on the other hand found at least a view of the end zone twice in the second half.
The Bengals turned the ball over three times. They probably should have had one more turnover, by interception, but was called back by offsetting penalties. Andy Dalton did not have a terrible game either, as he threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns. The lack of defense and untimely turnovers and what seemed to be lack of interest by the Bengals defense led to a 43-17 loss at the hands of the New England Patriots. A loss that many may have saw coming but I don’t think any of us expected a terrible blowout.
The Bengals head home to face the Carolina Panthers next week. They must improve next week or it could be another devastating blow to their search for a teams record fourth straight playoff berth.