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Patriots win ninth straight, but red-struggles are a major concern if they want playoff success
The recurring failures to get the last yard against the Bengals’ 32nd-ranked defense were as perplexing as they were frustrating.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
CINCINNATI — For the Patriots, having the ball at the Bengals 1-yard line Sunday proved to be the longest yard.
On separate possessions, the Patriots needed 1 yard for a touchdown. Both times, they failed to convert — turning the ball over on downs on an 11-play, 89-yard drive that couldn’t quite get to 90 early in the third quarter; then settling for an Andy Borregales 19-yard field goal on a 13-play, 79-yard drive that couldn’t quite get to 80 early in the fourth.
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The first drive was particularly egregious. The Patriots had six chances to score from the 1, thanks to a fourth-down pass interference penalty on the Bengals’ Dax Hill that gave them an extra set of downs. A Hunter Henry touchdown was wiped out by a pass interference penalty by Mack Hollins, and Rhamondre Stevenson failed to score on third- and fourth-down runs on the second series of downs.
The recurring failures to get the last yard against the Bengals’ 32nd-ranked defense were as perplexing as they were frustrating. And their red-zone offense needs to become much more efficient in general — especially when they face defenses far better than the one they faced Sunday.
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Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three players who were worth watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Tee Higgins, Kayshon Boutte, Christian Barmore.
Hunter Henry: The veteran tight end was probably the first pass-catcher Drake Maye ever fully trusted. And while his volume of targets varies from week-to-week, he remains good ol’ Mr. Reliable, someone the quarterback knows he can lean on when he needs him.
Maye leaned on him Sunday, and Henry delivered with one of the most productive games of his 10-year career. Henry hauled in seven catches on 10 targets for a career-high 115 yards and a touchdown. He got the Patriots on the scoreboard with a 28-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, a play that immediately followed his 12-yard catch to convert a third down. He added a 17-yarder later in the second quarter on a drive that ended with an Andy Borregales field goal and a 17-10 Patriots lead.
In the fourth quarter, Henry had a 23-yard catch-and-run on first-and-20 deep in their own territory, a drive that concluded with another Borrgales field goal. Henry and fellow tight end Austin Hooper (three catches, 39 yards) combined for 10 receptions, which is as many as Patriots wide receivers had in total.
Chase Brown: I think we all figured the Patriots would miss Milton Williams, who was placed on injured reserve and will miss a minimum of four games after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Jets. But Brown confirmed it right away and beyond a doubt, running for 10 yards on the Bengals’ first play from scrimmage and finishing with 107 yards on the ground, by far the most of any single player against the Patriots this season. (The previous high was by Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who had 67 yards in the Week 11 Thursday night matchup. The most by a running back was Breece Hall’s 58 in the same game.)
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Brown’s longest run went for 21 yards, helping to set up kicker Evan McPherson’s 63-yard field goal just before halftime that cut the Patriots’ lead to 17-13. He also gained 17 yards on a nifty lateral from Tee Higgins, but that was included in his receiving stats (2 catches, 23 yards).
Marcus Jones: Yeah, he’s small. Yeah, he has trouble with those lanky Drake London-types at wide receiver So what? What Jones does well, he does really, really well. Sometimes that’s as a return man. Often, that’s at cornerback, and it was his prowess in pass coverage that turned the game in the Patriots’ direction after the slow start Sunday night.
Midway through the second quarter, Jones jumped running back Tahj Brooks’s route after an ill-advised pump-fake by Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco, picked off the pass, and took it back 33 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead. Fittingly, it was Jones who made the victory official, batting down a fourth-down Flacco pass on the final play of the game.
Grievance of the game
Well, the real and obvious grievance is the Patriots’ recurring failures in the red zone, particularly from the 1-yard line. But we’ve already carped about that, so let’s go with this bummer: The Campbell injury, suffered with just under 5 minutes left in the third quarter, just stinks.
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The No. 4 overall pick has been as steady as any Patriots rookie tackle I’ve ever seen, save for maybe Matt Light in 2001. He’s exactly what they needed after last season’s offensive line was such a mess, and rookie left guard Jared Wilson, who was also injured in this game, deserves a similar salute.
If the news on Campbell ends up being as bad as feared, suddenly Maye’s blindside is in peril. No one was clamoring to see more of Vederian Lowe, that’s for sure.
Three notes scribbled in the margins
Predicted final score: Patriots 31, Bengals 23.
Final score: Patriots 26, Bengals 20
As someone who grew up fascinated by the lore around long-ago Saints kicker Tom Dempsey’s 63-yard field goal — a record that stood from 1970 (and was tied three times) until Denver’s Matt Prater hit a 64-yarder in 2013 — I never thought a 63-yarder like the one McPherson drilled Sunday would feel matter-of-fact. But it did … Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots defensive backs did a fine job of locking down Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, the No. 1 option with Ja’Marr Chase suspended for the game. He had just five catches for 31 yards, with a long of 16, before suffering a concussion while diving for a deep throw in the fourth quarter … Underrated big play: Kyle Williams’s 36-yard kickoff return with just under 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which gave the Patriots the ball on their own 40. The rookie did a nice job considering it was the first time he has been called upon as a kick returner, with three returns for 86 yards (28.8 average).
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