A rather routine December matchup between a struggling Cincinnati Bengals team and a playoff-bound New England Patriots team took an unexpected turn during the week of buildup.
Those Patriots were busted and eventually admitted to filming Cincinnati’s sideline during the Bengals’ loss to the Browns the week prior, spurring an NFL investigation into the matter and comments from big names such as Bengals owner Mike Brown and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
This rather dramatic turn of events serves as a perplexing backdrop for what should otherwise be a typical end-of-season bout between two teams heading in totally opposite directions.
The Bengals are runaway favorites for the top pick in the 2020 draft and enter Week 15 after a loss to Cleveland where Andy Dalton reverted to his struggling ways and the defense couldn’t stop the Browns from piling up nearly 30 points.
Joe Mixon was the only main bright spot for the Bengals in the loss, rushing 23 times for 146 yards and a score on a 6.3 average. Cincinnati’s defense has forced more turnovers in recent weeks and the pass rush looks somewhat revived, too.
But that defense will have to carry the game against the Patriots. Which — on paper — doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. Tom Brady is struggling mightily against pressure this year and has completed just 60.5 percent of his passes with only 19 touchdowns.
Even if the Bengals rattle Brady though, it falls on that Dalton-led offense to somehow overcome a Patriots defense permitting just 12.9 points per game. That same defense holds opponents to less than 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards per game on average, too.
And that’s the big difference here in 2019, not Brady. In the cold, a battle of field position isn’t going to smile kindly on a struggling Bengals offense. The team figures to keep fighting, but the continued struggles by the coaching staff and a one-dimensional offense will eventually succumb to a 10-win team like the visiting Patriots.
Prediction: Patriots 30, Bengals 17
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