The New England Patriots are looking to extend their win streak to nine games as they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. The Patriots sit at 9-2 and are coming off a 27-14 divisional win against the New York Jets. The 3-7 Bengals are coming off a 34-12 divisional loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One of the biggest stories to watch this week was the status of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who is progressing with his turf toe injury. For the first time in two months, the two-time Comeback Player of the Year was a full participant at practice.
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Despite returning to full practice, the Bengals chose not to activate Burrow off IR to give him another week to recover in preparation for return. That means that veteran Joe Flacco is slated to start once again in Cincy despite dealing with a minor shoulder injury of his own.
Flacco was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday but practiced fully on Friday and was not given an injury designation for the game.
With another year of a struggling defense and Burrow sidelined for some time, the Bengals are essentially out of the playoff race. This week, one of their offensive stars not named Burrow will definitely be sidelined. Last week, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was seen spitting on Jalen Ramsey and he received a one-game suspension for his actions.
While the Bengals offense will be missing a key contributor, the Patriots offense may get two key offensive players back. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) could see action this week.
If the regular season ended today, the Patriots would be the No. 2 seed in the AFC. That’s quite a climb considering that at this point a year ago New England was in contention for the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Here’s a look at how to watch the game live, along with betting odds and a prediction.
Where to watch Bengals vs. Patriots live
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Bengals vs. Patriots: Need to know
- The Ja’Marr Chase suspension. The Bengals offense will be without their star wideout, who was suspended for one game for unsportsmanlike conduct after video showed him spitting on Pittsburgh Steelers’ Jalen Ramsey during their Week 11 meeting. Chase appealed the suspension, but it was upheld. The suspension costs Chase a total of $507,156. So far this season, Chase leads the Bengals with 861 receiving yards and is second on the team with five touchdowns, so this is going to hurt.
- Bengals defense struggles. Cincinnati’s offense may have been putting up decent numbers, but their defense isn’t matching that play. The unit has allowed the fifth-most passing yards (2,651), the most passing touchdowns (25), the second-most rushing yards (1,609) and has recorded second-fewest sacks (14). Going up against a Patriots offense who currently has the second-most passing yards (2,937) and are tied for the third-most passing touchdowns (20) will present a challenge.
Bengals vs. Patriots prediction, pick
The Patriots offense has been firing on all cylinders lately and I don’t see that slowing down against a defense that has shown problems not only this year, but in recent years. Drake Maye is making his MVP case and I believe he will be able to find success again on Sunday. Pick: Patriots -7.5, Over 50.5
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