To this point on the season, not everyone is ready to get on the New England Patriots' bandwagon. Apparently, this Patriots team has had too soft a schedule to be counted as a true contender.
It's not like wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills aren't notable, but hey, that's just one person's opinion. Still, New England enters Week 12 at 8-2 having heard all of the criticism when it comes to having an "easy" schedule.
That might very well change this Sunday. Just yesterday, we saw Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow partake in a full practice. But today, Burrow did it once more -- and he operated as QB1. Per ESPN Bengals beat reporter Ben Baby, Burrow took first team reps in today's practice while Joe Flacco was the backup.
If Burrow does in fact play on Sunday, the Patriots have a legitimate opportunity at hand.
Patriots might have a legitimate answer to season-long critics in Week 12
Forget all of the talk about Cincinnati's defense being porous. It's true, they stink. But, the Patriots' defense might now have a chance to make a real statement. If we look at the grand scheme of things, this might be the best quarterback the Patriots have faced all year.
After all, Burrow led the entire NFL in completions, attempts, yards and passing touchdowns last year. He was just 82 yards shy of a 5,000-yard passing season while ending up with a whopping 43 touchdown passes to just nine interceptions.
The football we saw him play, down the stretch in 2024, might have been one of the greatest second-half stretches by any quarterback in league history. It was downright historic.
So, if Burrow comes back and he's healthy enough to play for the first time since being injured back in Week 2, then the Patriots have a real reason to hang their hats on this win.
Should it end up being Flacco, then things change drastically. No one expects the Patriots to have any problem handling a Bengals offense led by Flacco, although Cincy has certainly been better since trading for the veteran.
No one will bat an eye if New England comes away with a relatively-easy victory over Flacco, but if it's Burrow? Oh, you better believe things look much different. It's an all-new ball game with Burrow on the field.