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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is completing almost 80 percent of his passes and has thrown one interception. A year ago, the Bengals were brimming with confidence when they played host to the New England Patriots in the fourth game of the season. Cincinnati was 3-0. The Patriots were coming off a loss and seemed to be ripe for the taking. It seemed like a perfect matchup for the Bengals. It still appeared that way in the first quarter as Cincinnati drove up and down the field. But the Bengals settled for two field goals. Then the Patriots did what championship teams do. They made adjustments, seized momentum and didn't let the Bengals up for air. When it was over, New England had crushed Cincinnati 38-13.
Not much has gone right for the Bengals since. The Patriots loss was the first of 10 defeats in Cincinnati's past 16 games. For a team that fancies itself a Super Bowl contender, it has been a humbling 12 months. It is again the fourth game of the season, and the Bengals get another crack at the Patriots. The circumstances are much different. New England looks as invincible as it ever has during its remarkable run this decade. The cheating scandal has given Patriots coach Bill Belichick's reputation a black eye, but it has had no negative effect on his team's performance. Meanwhile, the Bengals are 1-2, hit hard by injuries and looking at the Patriots as the type of franchise they long to be. "They always come out ready to play," Bengals right tackle Willie Anderson said. "They're always prepared. They give you that year in and year out. I envy that as a player, to be a part of that thing year in, year out like that. You've got to go out and match that to have a chance to win." The Patriots are a well-rounded team, but their success starts with two men: Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Belichick is the master at implementing creative defensive game plans. "You look at their first three games," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said, "there's just so much different stuff. We know we're going to see something different from the years past when we played in the preseason and regular season. We're going to see something different than what they've done over the past three weeks. You just don't know. He's so good. "He's never going to give his secrets away. He takes away everyone's strengths, every quarterback's strengths, makes (teams) play to their weaknesses. He's done it year in, year out. It's scary going up against him." Belichick heaped tons of praise on Palmer and the Bengals offense. But Cincinnati's gun belt is missing some bullets. Cincinnati will be without Rudi Johnson for the first time since he became the starting running back in 2004. Kenny Watson will replace Johnson, who has a hamstring injury. Defensively, the Bengals must find a way to slow Brady, who is completing almost 80 percent of his passes, has thrown for 10 touchdowns and has been intercepted only once. "We have to get some push up the middle," Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers said. "They can be beaten, and we have the attitude we had the first Monday night game, the same mojo." Geathers was referring to the season-opening victory over Baltimore, a victory that seems long ago, just as the optimism heading into last year's Patriots game seems so distant. Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2007/10/01/bengals1001.ART_ART_10-01-07_C4_MC82HN6.html?sid=101 |
