In the famous words of Bill Belichick, “We are onto Cincinnati.”

Those words hold true this week as the New England Patriots travel to Cincinnati to take on a 1-12 Bengals squad after dropping a heartbreaking Week 14 contest vs. Kansas City last week. Add in the Spygate 2.0 controversy and there will be a lot of fuel behind the Patriots when they face off against their least feared opponent.

Here are six things New England fans should know about Cincinnati before Sunday’s game kicks off at Paul Brown Stadium:

1. Andy Dalton has regressed mightily.

It wasn’t too long ago when Andy Dalton was among the top quarterbacks in the AFC. The nine-year quarterback from TCU helped lead the Bengals to the playoffs in his first five seasons. Dalton’s career has gone downhill ever since and was benched in favor of backup Ryan Finley for a three-game stretch earlier this season.

Cincinnati’s experiment with Finley didn’t last long as Dalton is back under center. Starting 10 games this year, Dalton has thrown an erratic 60.0 percent completion rate with a 10-to-9 touchdown-interception ratio.

After facing the likes of Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes, it should be smooth sailing for the Patriots defense this week.

2. Joe Mixon has name recognition but has had an off year.

For New England fans who are fantasy football enthusiasts, Cincinnati starting running back Joe Mixon has the most name recognition on the Bengals offense. Mixon was being drafted within the first two rounds of fantasy drafts during the preseason, but he has failed to live up to expectations.

Mixon had a big 2018 season, recording 1,168 rushing yards at a 4.9 yard-per-carry rate with eight rushing scores. The third-year running back has seen a drop in production in all three areas this season: 768 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry and just three touchdowns.

3. Watch out for Tyler Boyd.

Wide receiver Tyler Boyd has had the most productive season compared to the rest of Cincinnati’s offensive playmakers. Boyd has made the most out of the Bengals’ quarterback woes. Given how dreadful Dalton and Finley have been, Boyd’s 833 receiving yards in 12 games is quite impressive. The fourth-year wide receiver has hauled in three touchdowns.

4. There’s not much outside of Boyd and Mixon.

On paper, Cincinnati could have a pretty explosive offense. Injuries, however, have depleted what could be a much better and more successful offense.

All-pro receiver AJ Green has yet to appear this season after suffering an ankle injury in the middle of last season. Third-year receiver John Ross had a fast start to 2019, accumulating over 100 yards in Weeks 1 and 2. Receiver Auden Tate is also on injured reserve.

Outside of Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, there isn’t much left to the Bengals offense. New England will look to slow down receiver Alex Ericson, tight end Tyler Eifert, and running back Giovani Bernard.

5. Could this be the week Tom Brady and the Patriots offense finally figure things out?

The past two weeks New England has gone up against beatable defenses in Houston and Kansas City. However, the Patriots offense made Houston and KC look like they had top-tier defenses.

Cincinnati’s defense is even worse, being ranked no. 31 in total defensive production while allowing 399.5 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Bengals give up an average 242.8 passing yards (19th in the league) and a league-worst 156.7 rushing yards.

Maybe, just maybe, this will finally be the week that Tom Brady, Sony Michel and the rest of the New England offense turn things around.

6. It’s been a while since the Patriots traveled to Cincinnati.

The last time New England visited Paul Brown Stadium was in 2013 when the Bengals defeated the Patriots, 13-6, in a Week 5 matchup.

Brady threw for just 197 yards and no touchdowns while being sacked four times. That was when Cincinnati boasted an elite defense.

A lot has changed since then, so this matchup may be coming at the right time for a struggling New England squad.

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