It’s now or never for the Patriots’ offense this week against the Bengals
The Patriots travel to Cincinnati this weekend to play the Bengals in a game that feels like the perfect opportunity to click on offense.
The Patriots face off against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday after dropping two straight games to start the month of December. They lost to the Texans and the Chiefs to start the month, but has a favorable schedule to close out the season. There are only three weeks left in the regular season, but New England still has serious issues on offense. With the playoffs just weeks away, the Patriots are quickly running out of time to figure out their issues on offense and as they struggle, their guaranteed high seed in playoffs has slipped through their fingers.
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The Patriots currently sit in second place in the AFC with a 10-3 record but the Bills and Chiefs are nipping at their heals just one game behind at 9-4. The Patriots need to work out the kinks on offense in order to hold onto second place in the AFC, and this week is a perfect opportunity for them to do that. The Bengals are in the conversation for the worst defense in football, and their offense is certainly nothing to write home about either. The Bengals give up more rushing yards than any team in football, and Sony Michel and company could be poised for a big day. This could also give the big guys up front to win the battle in the trenches which could over into future games.
There is no reason the Patriots should not win this game by 20+ points. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels need to make it a point to get the team playing like they were in the first half of the season when they were regularly winning by double digits. The team believed that they were the best team in football, and rightfully so. Both sides of the ball were clicking and they looked like they could beat anyone. The offense needs to find some fluidity this week to build off of. I believe the team understands how important it is to get the offense clicking again, so I do expect them to have a big game. I expect that the offense will score at least 30 points and the defense will have two turnovers, just like the games back in September that feel like a lifetime ago.