Narasi.net – On Christmas Eve afternoon, the Bengals jumped out to an early lead and held off a late Patriots comeback to win 22-18, dropping New England to 7-8 overall. The Pats were harmed by a sluggish start that allowed the Bengals to lead by three scores at the half, as it seemed New England was still reeling from their devastating last-second loss to the Raiders.
However, the Patriots were able to get back into the game and keep it exciting until the last drive thanks to some assistance from the defense and some big plays by Kendrick Bourne, Marcus Jones, and Matthew Judon. The amazing comeback attempt by New England appeared to be coming to a dramatic conclusion when Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled with the game seemingly in the balance and on the verge of an upset victory.
While Joe Burrow of the Bengals had 375 yards and three touchdowns to go along with two interceptions that helped kept New England’s chances alive, Mac Jones completed 21 of 33 for 240 yards. After a scorching start, the Bengals’ output slowed and their errors increased, which allowed New England to almost mount a comeback.
With only two games remaining in the season, the Patriots are in yet another late-season slump while the Bengals have reestablished themselves as the AFC’s top team and a Super Bowl candidate.
Here are the main conclusions from yet another late defeat.
Joe Burrow tore apart the opening two Bengals drives of the game, scoring two touchdowns to give Cincinnati a quick lead. The Patriots defense was defenseless against them. The final score at the end of the first quarter was 12-0 rather than 14-0 due to a failed extra point and a stop by the Patriots on a two-point conversion try.
Burrow started the game with 11 consecutive completions, while the Patriots only ran six offensive plays in the opening period.
When Burrow connected with Tee Higgins over Marcus Jones for a 38-yard gain on the Bengals’ second offensive play of the contest, it was a poor sign straight away. Similar to the first, Cincinnati rushed to the line for the second touchdown and swiftly threw a pass up the seam to receiver Trenton Irwin for a simple score. Another accurate throw by the quarterback came on third-and-17 with Jamarr Chase receiving it for 18 yards up the sideline as the injured Patriots cornerback corps battled to match up.
The Patriots offense, on the other hand, got off to a sluggish start, going two straight times for three-and-outs on their first possessions of the contest. Even worse, Michael Palardy botched his second punt, setting the Bengals up for their third possession close to midfield.
Early on, New England appeared still reeling from their defeat in Vegas. They put up little of a fight on defense and couldn’t muster much of an offense.