Patriots

Gillette Stadium – the Patriots are heading into a must-win scenario against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve at Gillette ...

The team lists Washington as a wide receiver, but if he plays on offense, it might be in a pseudo-tight end role similar to former Pats wideout Lil'Jordan Humphrey. One would expect the same formula this week, as the Pats starting corners will again be at a size disadvantage. The Patriots playoff hopes sit at 18% with their 7-7 record, according to Football Outsiders. Moving over to the offense, quarterback Mac Jones will have his full complement of healthy pass-catchers outside of Parker. However, the Pats will play another week without RB Damian Harris (thigh) and rookie cornerback Jack Jones (knee). Although second-year corner Shaun Wade is active, Mills (6-1) and Jack Jones (5-11) are New England's two biggest corners who are regular contributors on a weekly basis.

The Cincinnati Bengals take on the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve and already have a spot in the playoffs reserved for them.

Hurst returned to practice this week but didn't feel comfortable enough to give it a go. The Cincinnati Bengals take on the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve and already have a spot in the playoffs reserved for them. Hurst and Hubbard won't suit up this week due to injuries.

Bill O'Brien, the current offensive coordinator at Alabama, is a strong option for a return to the New England Patriots in 2023, NFL Network Insider Ian ...

So a lot of things as an offense, it's 11 guys and you have to try to push everybody as a quarterback to do the right thing and make sure we're all on the same page. "I think it goes back to just trusting the process of everything and doing whatever you can do to become a great football player," Jones said. This would be a potential answer to an important question facing the Patriots in the future. Since he left in 2011, the club is averaging three fewer points per game. [joined Saban's staff at Alabama](https://www.nfl.com/news/alabama-hires-former-texans-coach-bill-o-brien-as-offensive-coordinator) in 2021, he gave Saban a commitment to finish out his two-year contract. Regardless, the success they had together was noteworthy.

But with some help from the defense and some big plays by Kendrick Bourne, Marcus Jones and Matthew Judon the Patriots were able to climb back into the game to ...

Even with the late comeback surge it was arguably the worst loss of the Patriots 2022 season as New England is once again saddled with a losing record for 2022. Stevenson's late fumble was just the unfortunate cherry on top as self-inflicted mistakes continue to have a major impact on wins and losses this year. The Patriots offense had 70 total yards of offense in the first half, went 0-3 on third down and held the ball for just 8:20 in four total drives that all ended in punts. This time it was a 28-yard toe-tap catch along the sideline that was initially ruled incomplete but overturned to a catch upon review. The ball initially bounced right off of practice squad tight end Scotty Washington's hands, but deflected perfectly into Jakobi Meyers arms for a shocking 48-yard score that, with another missed extra point, made it 22-18 with just under six minutes to play in the game. With that, they continued to make plays on the Bengals next drive, first with sacks from Matthew Judon and Josh Uche and then getting a takeaway with Devin McCourty's red-zone interception that prevented Cinci from going up by three scores. But with the sputtering Patriots offense, they were unable to take advantage of the defense finally getting some stops until well into the second half. Following Jones' pick-six, the Patriots showed more signs of life, forcing an ensuing punt then putting together their best offensive drive of the game, an 11-play, 77-yard touchdown trot with Kendrick Bourne playing a key role. The Patriots defense had no answers against the first two Bengals drives of the game, as Joe Burrow picked them apart scoring two touchdowns to give Cincinnati an early lead. A later third-and-17 pass for 18 yards up the sideline to Jamarr Chase was another pinpoint throw by the quarterback as the Patriots battered cornerback group struggled to match up. New England looked like they were poised to take an upset win, knocking on the door of a go-ahead score, but a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble suddenly and unceremoniously ended the thrilling comeback attempt. The Pats were hurt by a slow start that enabled a three-score Bengals lead at halftime, as it appeared New England suffered an extended hangover after their last-second stunning loss to the Raiders.

O'Brien was part of the Patriots' offensive coaching staff from 2007-11. After working as the quarterbacks coach in 2009 and 2010, O'Brien was promoted to ...

After a pair of questionable trades and an 0-4 start to the 2020 season, the Texans fired O’Brien. 1 loss to the Bills. After ranking in the top 10 in several metrics, the Patriots’ offense ranks in the bottom 10 in several stats under Matt Patricia, who’s the de facto offensive coordinator. Reports have emerged in recent weeks that O’Brien is looking to return to the NFL. The Patriots led the league in scoring in O’Brien’s lone season as the offensive coordinator and were second in yards as they reached the Super Bowl that season. O’Brien, who grew up in Andover, is wrapping up his second season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator as it’s set to face Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl.

The Patriots host the Bengals on Saturday afternoon as they look to get back in the win column.

The drive went 77 yards on 11 plays, taking 4:53 off the clock. Folk's extra point attempt is no good, Patriots trail 22-18 with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter. The drive went 80 yards on 12 plays, taking 2:02 off the clock. The Bengals will start their drive at their own 25. The drive went 41 yards on 10 plays, taking 3:58 off the clock. Their subsequent two-point attempt is no good, Bengals lead 12-0 with 5:16 left in the first quarter. The Bengals will start their drive at their own 20. The Bengals will start their drive at their own 24. McPherson's extra point attempt is no good, Bengals lead 6-0 with 12:24 left in the first quarter. TOUCHDOWN BENGALS: Burrow connects with Irwin for a 23-yard touchdown. As a result, their already slim playoff chances only got slimmer and now if they want to keep their hopes alive a loss cannot happen against the Bengals. He has a trio of receivers in Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, as well as running back Joe Mixon, that can torch even the best defenses.