Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots are entering Week 12 riding high. They have won eight games in a row and at 9-2 are tied for both the best record in football and the top seed in their conference.
Standing between them and the momentum staying alive is a Cincinnati Bengals squad that has had to deal with all sorts of issues this season. Not only are they entering the contest at 3-7 and as the owners of the statistically worst defense in the league, they also will be without their best pass catcher, best pass rusher and, potentially, starting quarterback.
So, with that said, let’s take a look at our head-to-head comparison between the two teams ahead of their 1 p.m. ET showdown on Sunday.
Patriots pass offense vs. Bengals pass defense: Speaking purely in terms of the numbers, this might be the most lopsided matchup the Patriots passing offense will face this season. The Bengals, frankly, have been putrid stopping opponents from moving the ball through the air: they are ranked dead-last in the league in EPA allowed per dropback (0.274) and passing touchdowns given up (25), and are 31st in both passing yards (2,573) and net yards per attempt surrendered (7.3). The Drake Maye-led Patriots attack, meanwhile, has been among the most efficient in football and will get one of the best deep threats in the game — wide receiver Kayshon Boutte — back as well. | Edge: Patriots
Patriots pass defense vs. Bengals pass offense: Joe Burrow is the big variable in this matchup. The Bengals’ starting quarterback has been out since sustaining a turf toe injury in Week 2, but he recently returned to full practice participation and 11-on-11 work. If he gets the start over Joe Flacco, this matchup projects to be a lot closer even considering that Flacco has played decently considering the circumstances. At the end of the day, though, we are still giving New England the edge even if Burrow makes his comeback: outside of opening drives, the Patriots defense has been one of the best in football lately even with an uneven pass rush. That is in large part because of the coverage personnel locking down opposing passing games, something that will be easier to do on Sunday with Bengals WR1 Ja’Marr Chase suspended. | Edge: Patriots
Patriots rushing offense vs. Bengals run defense: The Bengals pass defense has been bad this year, and so has been their ability to stop the run. They are ranked 32nd in rushing yards given up (1,609), 31st in EPA per run (0.108) and 30th in yards per run (5.4). On the season, New England has not been a whole lot better — ranking in the bottom third in several categories — but the unit has turned the corner recently: since the start of November, it is ranked 12th in EPA on the ground (0.046). Chances are it is going to add to that number against a defense that is...
