Pats Preview: Patriots Vs. Bengals

As the New England Patriots prepare for their Week 6 battle with the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday at Gillette, here are some story lines to follow.

Welcome Home- After making his 2016 debut on the road last week, in a dominant Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be back at home for the first time this Sunday. While so many Patriots fans traveled to Cleveland that it really in some ways replicated the atmosphere of a home game, expect the Foxboro faithful to crank it up a few levels for the four-time Super Bowl champ. Patriots Nation was forced to endure three home games without there beloved quarterback under center, so expect them to make up for lost time all game long.

More Of The Same- With Brady back under center and the tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowksi and Martellus Bennett finally both at full strength on the field together, the New England offense was back to it's dominant form last Sunday. With all those variables in place this week, along with other weapons Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and James White among others, it's safe to expect more of the same from the Patriot offense. The Cincinnati defense ranks 11th in the league against the pass, so they have proven to be susceptible to strong passing attacks. Expect the Patriots offense to devise an interesting game plan, one that especially utilizes the tight ends, to help them pick apart the Cincy secondary.

Ain't No Stopping Them- As was mentioned above, the tandem of Gronkowski and Bennett were absolutely dominant last week. The duo, which was expected to be the best tight end combo New England has run out onto the field since Gronkowski was teamed with Aaron Hernandez, lived up to the billing in their first game together with no restrictions. The pair combined to make 11 catches for 176 yards and three scores last Sunday. While that was against a Cleveland defense that is far less imposing than the one that will be on the field for the Bengals this week, it will be a tough task for any defense to slow the duo this season. You can expect Brady to target the two a lot Sunday, exposing the mismatches they create against both linebackers and defensive backs.

A Dynamic Backfield Duo- Much like the tight end tandem the Pats trot out on offense, the Cincy offense boasts their own dynamic duo. Unlike New England's, the Bengals' pair comes out of the backfield in the form of running backs Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill. The duo have combined to rush for 351 yards and three scores on 96 carries, with most of the heavy lifting coming from Hill. They have also combined for 28 catches for 248 yards and a score, with Bernard leading the way through the air. With just under 600 yards from scrimmage between the two of them, the Cincinnati backfield mates have the potential to give opposing defenses fits. The New England line will need to do a good job of setting and containing the edges to force the back inside. From there, the big tackles along the interior will have to finish off the shifty duo.

Slowing Green- The Patriots defense has scuffled so far this season and has failed to live up to the lofty preseason hype many had heaped upon it. While they still have plenty of room to grow as a whole, one thing that they have done well, as they always seem to do, is that they've continually limited the top weapons of opposing offenses. This week, with Cincinnati in town, that top weapon is wide receiver A.J. Green. Through five weeks of the 2016 season Green, who has been a star for years now, has caught 36 passes for 518 yards and two scores. He also has clearly been quarterback Andy Dalton's first option in the passing game as his 518 receiving yards give him 242 yards more than the team's next closest receiver, former Pats wide out Brandon LaFell. Expect the Pats to use a combination of both top corners, Malcolm Butler (tenacity) and Logan Ryan (height) who match up with him in different ways, along with help over the top from safeties Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon all day long. Also expect for that game plan to limit what type of output the start wide out is able to contribute. He might not be completely taken out of the game, but the chances of him playing a non-factor against a Matt Patricia and Bill Belichick coached defensive scheme are pretty high.

Prediction- With New England's offense pretty much completely intact and coming off of a strong performance in their first go around last Sunday, it's safe to expect their second show to be packed with as much points as their opening act. If you combine that with the fact that their golden boy coming back home for the first time this season and their match up against an underachieving, below .500 Bengals team, the stage is set for a New England rout. When all players are accounted for, the Pats just have more firepower on offense and more capability to stop it's opponent on defense. This game shouldn't and most likely won't be close.

Patriots 38, Bengals 17