New England's ninth win in a row--tenth overall--should be cause for celebration. But Patriots injuries dampening the mood Monday morning.
We'll start with where the clip starts: a shaky start in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon. As Fred, Hardy, and Jon Wallach concurred, Drake Maye was off for the balance of the first quarter against the Bengals. The Pats defense was off, too. And against a three-win team.
All told, the Patriots were lucky to finish the quarter down 3-0. Things improved in the second quarter, with New England putting up 17 to Cincinnati's 10, finishing the half up 17-13. That big second quarter put the Pats in position to win, which they did, 26-20.
Patriots Injuries
The win takes a bit off the edge off the bigger story from Sunday: injuries to key players. Left tackle Will Campbell is getting further testing on his knee; Alex Barth has that story here. Matt Dolloff wrote about the injuries to left guard Jared Wilson and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga.
It's a short week with the Thanksgiving holiday on the horizon, but we're all in on Patriots coverage leading up. Listen to Toucher & Hardy live Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for more news and analysis, or stream the show live on the Sports Hub YouTube channel.
