Patriots 26, Bengals 20

 

A Drake Maye TD, two pick-sixes, and two field goals, all in 15 minutes? The second quarter of today's Patriots-Bengals game was fire!

After a Cincy FG in the first quarter, defender Geno Stone of the Bengals picked off a Drake Maye pass in the second quarter for a 28-yard TD. New England drove the ball 70 yards down the field on their next possession, culminating in a 28-yard Maye-to-Henry TD pass. Then, on the Bengals' next possession, Patriot defender Marcus Jones intercepted Joe Flacco and returned the ball 33 yards for a New England pick-six. A pair of FGs, one by each team, finished the wild quarter.

Compared to all that, the rest of the game was a rather dull affair. New England kicked  three field goals in the second half and Flacco got a TD for the Bengals, and the game ended with the Pats up by six. 

Buffalo lost today, so the Pats (10-2) lead the AFC East by two games. The Patriots are among the top eight teams in the NFL in points per game (28.9), yards per game (371.8), and passing yards per game (258.9). Drake Maye leads the league in both total yards (2,836) and percent complete (71.9).

Next weekend is a Monday night home game against the New York Giants (2-10). Remember when the Patriots were banned from hosting Monday Night Football because of heavy drinking and rowdy behavior? 

Remember when the Giants were good?