Patriots vs Bengals Week 12 inactives
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Bengals, Patriots
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Rams, Patriots now top seeds in NFC, AFC
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Patriots OT carted to locker room
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The Patriots may have already done enough to make the playoffs. That’s right, it’s possible that they could lose their remaining five games and would likely still make the postseason.
Soon-to-be superstar Tom Brady debuted in the 2000 contest — a hardly-memorable performance. The 2012 clash with the Jets was the butt-fumble game.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco's day was blighted by a pick-six interception for the second week in a row. Flacco was without the suspended Ja'Marr Chase, his top receiving target, and lost receiver Tee Higgins to a concussion late in regulation.
1h
Patriots win ninth straight, but red-zone struggles are a major concern if they want playoff success
Drake Maye & Co. need to become much more efficient in general, especially when the Patriots face defenses far better than the Bengals.
Perhaps the biggest talking point after the game will be the injuries to starting left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson. Both were carted to the locker room after going down with injuries in the game. That left the Patriots down to backups Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown filling in on the left side of the line.
The win was both costly and messy for the Patriots. In addition to making mistakes that have become uncharacteristic, they lost three key players — offensive linemen Jared Wilson and Will Campbell and special teams ace Brendan Schooler — to injuries.
Mike Vrabel scrapped a season-long tradition following his Patriots’ 26–20 win over the Bengals on Sunday afternoon, one that brought New England to 10–2 and earned them the No. 1 seed in the AFC through 12 weeks of the 2025 NFL season.
In the end, the Patriots made enough plays on defense to spoil a potential game-winning drive by Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco for a 26-20 victory.
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