New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Five Key Matchups

Sep 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots tight end

(87) is congratulated by running back Stevan Ridley (22) after scoring a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 41-14. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

4. Rob Gronkowski, Tim Wright vs. Cincinnati LB’s

The biggest problem with the Patriots offense is obviously the offensive line, but getting more receivers open for Tom Brady won’t hurt its progress either.

When New England traded Logan Mankins to the Bucs for Tim Wright, I wasn’t too upset. But that was because I assumed the Pats would at least try to get Wright involved in the offense. He is far too talented to just sit on the bench, and I think Sunday’s game will be the perfect coming out party for the former Rutgers star.

If the Patriots commit to the running game early, and have some success with it, that will open up a ton of opportunities for the two tight ends over the middle. If they can cleanly beat the Bengals’ linebackers, Tom Brady could have a good game through the air. Vontaze Burfict is also unlikely to play against the Pats, which should favor Gronk and Wright.

It looks like Gronk is slowly getting back to 100%, and I don’t think it will be long before he is dominating like he used to. The combination of him and Wright should be deadly. The Pats just need to execute to allow them to get going.

(Yeah, that’s you offensive line)