The 4-1 New England Patriots are set to take on the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals at home on Sunday in a game that’s a rematch from the classic ‘onto Cincinnati’ game that jump-started the Patriots to win the 49th Super Bowl during the 2014-2015 season.
The Bengals have been very underwhelming this season. Since the 2011 season, the Bengals have made the playoffs, winning the AFC North in 2013 and 2015. A 2-3 start has the Bengals currently sitting at 5th in the wild card race, with the Baltimore Ravens currently holding the 6th seed and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC North. It is only week 6, but another loss could put the Bengals into a deep hole.
The Patriots look to improve upon there one game lead in the AFC East, with the surging Buffalo Bills on a three game win streak since the dismissal of their old offensive coordinator.
Key Match Up
The Patriots defensive line will look to put pressure on Andy Dalton and disrupt the offense, against an offensive line that has been slightly lackluster this season. While the Patriots only have 9 sacks on the year, they have 32 hurries on the season. Chris Long, Malcolm Brown, Jabaal Sheard, and recently returned Rob Ninkovich have been able to get into the backfield, but need to finish and sack the quarterback to make sure that Dalton and company can’t get going.
Difference Makers
AJ Green is not only an amazing athlete, but a modest one. The strong yet silent receiver has 204 more yards on the year then the Patriots leading receiver, which is Martellus Bennett. Green only has two touchdowns on the year, and you can be sure he will try to increase that amount this Sunday.
For the Patriots, their difference maker is Chris Hogan. Coming off a career game, Hogan has proved that his nickname 7-11 is very accurate; he’s almost always open. The Patriots have been without a deep threat for a long time, and it seems that the sparsely used former Bills receiver has flourished as one under the Patriots system. Hogan only has one touchdown on the season, but came very close to two against the Browns. Look for him to try to increase that number on Sunday as well.
