Five Takeaways: Patriots Demolish Bengals

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots rediscovered their winning mojo against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday night. They laid the smack-down, rolling past Cincy with ease, 43-17. It was truly a team victory as all areas of their play showed drastic improvement over last week’s loss to Kansas City.

The Patriots started fast, the Gillette Stadium crowd was wild, and they were able to notch a highly-satisfying win against what was an undefeated club. They improved to 3-2 on the year in victory and are now tied with the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East.

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Here’s what stood out in victory:

1. The offensive line finally clicked from start to finish and the run game flourished. The subtle changes Bill Belichick made with starting Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell at the guard spots, and Bryan Stork at center, paid off. Unlike weeks prior, Tom Brady was given ample time to pass and he remained upright. They opened up some huge holes in the run game as well. Stevan Ridley rushed for 113 yards and Shane Vereen went for 90 yards.

2. The dual-threat tight end offense reemerged. Not only was Rob Gronkowski a force to be reckon with, but newcomer Tim Wright had himself a night as well. Gronkowski hauled in six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Wright added five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown of his own.

3. Brady played with confidence and delivered. Brady completed 23 of 35 pass attempts for 292 yards. He finished with two touchdown passes and was only sacked once. The 37-year-old even totaled 13 rushing yards on four attempts. His emotion was running high as he could be seen pumping up and congratulating his teammates throughout the duration of the contest.

4. Darrelle Revis showed why he’s considered one of the best, if not the best corner in football. He shadowed A.J. Green all evening. Green may have finished with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, but the score came on a 17-yard play in which Revis missed due to an injury. Green was clearly taken out of his game. Revis even stripped the football from Green on one play which led to a turnover. The secondary played well as a unit, holding the Bengals to just 243 yards through the air.

5. The defense stuffed the run and forced turnovers. After getting steamrolled by Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, the Patriots front seven buckled down. Giovani Bernard totaled just 63 yards rushing. Vince Wilfork was more stout and Jerod Mayo racked up eight tackles. They recovered three fumbles in total. One was returned for a touchdown by Kyle Arrington on a Cincinnati kick return.

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