Tag: N’Keal Harry

5 takeaways from Patriots’ bounce-back victory against Bengals

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ 34-13 victory against the Bengals.

The New England Patriots got a much-needed victory in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There are still glaring vulnerabilities throughout the unit, but they’ve done enough to clinch the playoffs and enter the final weeks of the season with an 11-3 record. New England’s scary-good secondary showed why they’re among the best in the league, and the offense did just enough against the Bengals to get the job done — this has been the recurring theme all season.

Needless to say, the Bengals are now 1-13 and this isn’t a victory to boast about. The Patriots will see the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and the Miami Dolphins during the final week of the season. They’ll have to play much better than they have in the past few weeks, but this game against the Bengals was a solid start.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Stephon Gilmore is New England’s MVP this season

The Patriots have a league-high 25 interceptions this season and Stephon Gilmore is responsible for six of them.

He is undoubtedly the NFL’s best cornerback right now and he continues to make a case for Defensive Player of the Year. He added on to that case against the Bengals after recording two interceptions — one resulting in a pick-six. Gilmore told reporters after the game that he should’ve had three, maybe four interceptions.

Gilmore leads New England’s secondary and he’s the reason that they feel so comfortable playing man defense. He has changed the dynamic of this team, and the Patriots will need his continued excellence if they want to make a deep playoff run.

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