It’s no secret the biggest non-football storyline surrounding the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals pertain to the taping incident that happened a week before their Week 15 encounter.
But other noteworthy storylines persist going into Sunday’s kickoff.
Let’s take a look at those, which range from long-term implications to the tug-of-war set to happen between the AFC squads.
Playoffs and drafts
Cincinnati Bengals At Cleveland Browns 12 8 2019
The Bengals have much at stake Sunday — when it comes to the draft. They’re the lone one-win team in the NFL but the New York Giants continue to make things interesting by sitting as the only two-win team. Bengals players and coaches want to win, yes, but a win could do more harm than good over the long run. As for the Patriots, a two-game skid to fall to 10-3 is concerning, largely because it has come at the wrong time of year. New England would like to make it right and figure out some issues plaguing the offense. If the Patriots keep starters in even if things turn into a blowout on Sunday, it has nothing to do with the taping incident and more about fixing the team’s biggest problem…