Patriots vs. Bengals Notebook: Kendrick Bourne, Marcus Jones Nearly Spark Christmas Eve Comeback
FOXBORO — As Die Hard’s Hans Gruber would say, “It’s Christmas … it’s the time of miracles.”
After scoring 18 unanswered points in the second half, the New England Patriots were on the verge of creating their own Christmas Even magic, against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
However, a costly fumble from running back Rhamondre Stevenson with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter secured the 22-18 win for the Bengals in Week 16.
The loss drops the Patriots to 7-8 on the season, and into third place in the AFC East as they continuing to hold the tie-breaker over the 7-8 New York Jets. More importantly, it keeps New England outside of the playoff window, as their hopes hang by the slimmest of threads.
Offense Observations
Quarterback Mac Jones turned a woeful first-half performance into a respectable outing, finishing the day completing 21 of 33 for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the final stat line does not adequately tell the tale of an offense that is in dire need. While many within the fans base continue to chide Jones for his offensive struggles, the Pats scoring troubles run much deeper than their quarterback periodically missing their wide receiver. New England continues to stunted by deficient play-calling and poor route-spacing. In fact, the Pats did not find their rhythm until the opening play of the fourth quarter, which also happened to be their first trip into Bengals territory.
Receiver Kendrick Bourne’s turned in his best performance of the season. In the process, he nearly became the catalyst of New England’s would-be comeback. Bourne finished the afternoon having caught six passes for 100 yards and one touchdown. He also showcased his dual-threat skill set by completing a 29-yard carry off a jet sweep on his first offensive snap in the second quarter. Despite his curious placement on ‘double-secret probation’ by the Pats offensive brain trust, Bourne’s efforts in the loss proved him to be a valuable component to the Patriots offense.
While his late game snafu in Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders continues to be justifiably maligned, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers’ heads-up touchdown grab in the fourth quarter showed that he is capable of making plays in the clutch moments. Trailing 22-12 with 6:02 remaining and facing 3rd-and-29, Jones’ pass intended for tight end Scotty Washington seemed destined to fall dead. However, credit the Pats practice-squadder (who was elevated for Week 16) for deflecting it to Meyers who caught it for an improbable 48-yard touchdown.
Defense Observations
With cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Jack Jones sidelined due to injury, New England struggled to cover Cincinnati’s pass catchers. Receiver Tee Higgins had eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while top receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished with eight catches for 79 yards. While New England did an admirable job in containing slot receiver Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin (fourth on the Bengals depth chart) scored two touchdowns.
Despite being heralded as a triple-threat weapon (and deservedly so), rookie Marcus Jones continues to prove his value as a solid defensive back. The ex-Houston Cougar gave the Pats their first points of the day by stepping in front of a pass from Burrow intended for Chase on 3rd and 11. Jones intercepted the throw and showcased his speed by returning it 69 yards for the touchdown. He also exhibited superb balance and strength by keeping his footing when Burrow and Cincinnati running back Samaje Perine threatened to derail his push for the end zone by tackling him near the 30-yard line. Jones was once again the point man in another forced turnover, when he recovered Chase’s fumble off of the strip by linebacker Matthew Judon. While his coverage struggles against the Bengals taller receivers have to be acknowledged, Jones was arguably the most clutch player on the field for New England on Saturday.
Safety Devin McCourty provided perhaps the only first-half highlight for New England, by intercepting Burrow in the red zone with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter. Cincinnati’s starting quarterback finished 40-of-52 for 375 yards and three touchdowns, with two picks.
Costly Mistakes
With the chance to take their first lead of the game, the Patriots had the ball on the Cincinnati five-yard line with just over a minute to play. Stevenson took the handoff and was hit by Bengals saftey Vonn Bell. The second-year rusher fumbled the ball, leading to a recovery by defenisve tackle Josh Tupou. Though the Bengals punted the ball back to New England just four plays later, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs to end the afternoon on a sour note.
Though Stevenson’s fumble will likely be the fodder for armchair analysts in the coming days, his miscue was far from the only reason for New England’s loss.
The Pats committed 10 costly penalties, losing a total of 82 yards.
Following the Patriots’ second unsuccessful offensive possession, punter Michael Palardy fumbled the catch on a solid snap attempt by new long snapper Tucker Addington. The hurried punt put the Bengals in great field position, leading to an Evan McPherson field goal to give the Bengals a 15-0 lead early in the second quarter.
It should also be noted that New England may have had the option to kick a field goal in the closing moments of the game, had the typically-automatic Nick Folk made two extra point attempts on previous scores.
While pointing the finger at Folk, who has otherwise been outstanding this season, may seem petty, it is indicative of the type of day New England had on the field against Cincinnati in all three phases.
Up Next:
The Patriots will welcome the Miami Dolphins to Gillette Stadium for the first game of the 2023 calendar year, and their final home game of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Jan, 1.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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