The people of New England can breathe a little easier now: Following a brutal defeat last Monday at the hands of the Chiefs, the Patriots dismantled the Bengals on Sunday night to the tune of 43-17.
The sky is no longer falling in Foxboro.
The week that preceded this Sunday night clash seemed to be an eternity for the Patriots and their fans. They were forced to sit by and listen to analysts and pundits crush them on TV and in the newspapers. ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer went so far as to say “they’re not good anymore.” There were pervasive rumblings that this was the end of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s success.
On Sunday night, the Patriots came out in primetime and slammed the door shut on all that talk. They dominated in every phase of the game against a previously undefeated Bengals team. Through four weeks, the Bengals had played nearly flawless football, allowing a league-low 11 points per game on defense.On offense, they had turned the ball over only once. Against the Patriots, they came back down to earth, and fast. Led by Brady, the Patriots' offense scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and didn’t look back, while the Bengals offense sputtered and stalled. Cornerback Darrelle Revis shut down Bengals’ All-Pro receiver A.J. Green for most of the game. The run defense was able to contain the Bengals’ emerging star tailback Giovani Bernard, holding him to just 62 yards on the ground.
On Sunday night, Brady and the Patriots' offense looked closer to what New England fans are used to seeing than they have all year. Brady compiled 292 yards passing and two scores, while eight different Patriots caught passes. The team combined for over 200 yards rushing and the offensive line looked much improved from the previous four weeks.
This game does not mean the Patriots have fixed all their issues, or that the Bengals are dead in the water. Both are far from the case. The Bengals are a very talented team that will likely win their division. The Patriots need to prove they can sustain the level of play and focus they possessed on Sunday. This win was satisfying for New England, but isn’t enough to vault them right back into talks as AFC favorites.
Before 8 p.m. Sunday, people were ready to anoint the 3-0 Bengals the new top dogs of the AFC. Three hours later, the Patriots had run away with the victory. Narratives of both the Bengals’ newfound dominance and the Patriots’ dwindling successes were simultaneously and abruptly quieted.
More than anything, this game was a testament to the mobility within the NFL -- the mantra that any team can beat anyone else on “any given Sunday” certainly held true. After five weeks of this NFL season, there is no great, dominant team. According to ESPN reporter Field Yates, for just the third time in the modern era, no team started the season 4-0. Including the Bengals, seven teams currently have only one loss. Four of those have already had their bye week, meaning they have played one fewer game than the rest of the league (Denver, Seattle, Cincinnati, Arizona).
Thus, the small group of 4-1 teams include Philadelphia and Dallas, both of which have played relatively easy schedules. That leaves only the San Diego Chargers, who have looked very impressive and handed defending Super Bowl champion Seattle its only defeat thus far. The Chargers, though, still have to battle the defending AFC champion Broncos for supremacy within their own division.
Last year, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco all looked to be better than the rest of the league for most of the season. But in 2014, no such team has distinguished itself from the rest so far. That’s good news for teams like the Patriots, which haven’t looked quite like bonafide contenders. Without a clear top team, more fringe contenders have a shot to make deep playoff runs.
Whether the Patriots or any other team can develop into a great, top-of-the-league team remains to be seen. Regardless, the Pats had to rebound from their miserable showing against the Chiefs, and they did just that. Wherever they finish this season, they proved they aren’t quite down for the count. After Sunday night’s game, the Patriots appear to be just fine.
