Patriots vs. Bengals 3 To Watch: Bounce-Back For Mac Jones?
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are looking to remain in playoff contention as they face off against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve at Gillette Stadium.
Saturday’s matchup will mark the 27th meeting between the Pats and Bengals. The Pats will host the Bengals for the first time since a 35-17 win in Oct. 2016. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since New England’s 34-13 win at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Dec. 15, 2019.
Though many Patriots players are expected to garner some attention during this matchup, here are three players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Bengals.
Mac Jones
With the Patriots playoff fate hanging in the balance, all eyes will be on Jones … for better or for worse. The 24-year-old is undoubtedly looking to improve upon his 13 of 31, 112-yard performance in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Alabama product could not seem to get anything going in the passing game against a statistically below-average Raiders secondary. As a result, Jones set his season-low in passing yards, while failing to reach 200 yards in four of his last seven games. Yet, this may not be the week for Jones to increase his output by testing the deep ball. While Cincinnati’s defense ranks in the top five in defending the deep pass, they rank 17th in preventing short, intermediate passes. They also allow 8.6 yards per play-action pass attempt, 27th in NFL. Though Jones and the Patriots fan base may be disgruntled with the quick game, it may be the most effective way to facilitate New England’s use of play-action on Saturday.
Nelson Agholor
With DeVante Parker (concussion) already ruled out, and fellow wideouts Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) and rookie Tyquan Thornton (knee) listed as questionable, Agholor enters this matchup as one of only two healthy receivers, the other being Kendrick Bourne. However, with Bourne still in the Pats’ coaching staff’s equivalent of ‘double-secret probation,’ Agholor may see several targets from Mac Jones. After hauling in five of his 10 targets for 32 yards in the Patriots' win over the Cardinals last Monday, Agholor's production dipped Week 15. The ex-USC Trojan was on the field for 54 of a possible 65 snaps on offense, catching one of his six targets for three yards against the Raiders. While New England is unlikely to force the deep ball against the Bengals secondary, Agholor may be Jones’ most reliable target in Week 16, by default.
Healthy Cornerbacks
The absence of cornerback Jalen Mills automatically thins an already banged-up Patriots secondary. Both rookie Jack Jones (knee) and veteran Jonathan Jones (chest) remain questionable. As a result, New England faces a dilemma on the perimeter in covering Cincinnati’s stud wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. If either Jones (or both) is unable to play, fellow rookie Marcus Jones will be called upon to play a notable role on the outside. Still, Mills coverage abilities and route knowledge will be sorely missed. In order to find success against the Bengals pair of potent receivers, they may try to challenge Chase with cloud coverage and one-double schemes. However, Higgins’ size (6-4) may cause difficulty for any of the Jones’ charged with covering him. Myles Bryant will attempt to contain Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd, while Shaun Wade will serve as their depth option.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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