Pats lose to Bengals, 13-6

After beating Atlanta to improve to 4-0, it seemed like the Patriots were going to cruise to another division title. With very little resistance left on the schedule for the Pats, many began looking for games the Patriots might lose. Most were looking to week 6, when the New England will take on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Perhaps the Patriots were too - in the process, they looked like they forgot that the Bengals weren't just going to lay down and die this Sunday.

The Bengals put together a strong drive in the 4th quarter, capped off by a 1-yard TD run by Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis, putting the Bengals up 13-3. The Pats would only be able to muster enough offense to add three points to their total, Tom Brady threw an interception to "Pacman" Jones with 16 seconds left in the game to end it for the Bengals.

The game on Sunday marked the first time that Brady had not thrown for a touchdown in 52 games. The Patriots offense was anemic all day long, and the pace of the offense was slow - the only urgency the Pats showed came in the 4th quarter when they had already fallen behind by two scores. Tom Brady completed 18 of 38 passes amounting to 197 yards (with zero TDs and one pick). The ground game couldn't spark the offense either, LeGuarrette Blount led all Patriots rushers with 51 yards on 12 attempts - Cincinnati was also able to hold their ground against the Pats when they were stationed on the 1-yard line late in the 4th quarter, amounting in a Gostowski field goal.

The Bengals defense also sacked Tom Brady four times. The Patriots offensive line couldn't give Brady the time he needed to throw the football, and when Brady did have time, there was a disconnect between him and his receivers. There were opportunities - but the Pats executed poorly.

What can we take from this loss? Perhaps it was a lack of focus on the offense's part this week, or maybe the Pats came up with a bad offensive scheme to combat a pretty strong Bengals defensive unit. It was likely a combination of the two. The Pats sat down in this one, they were waiting for opportunities to present themselves - the high throttle offense of the past is gone, but does that mean you've forgotten when it's time to put the pedal to the metal? The 2013 Patriots offense will need to make adjustments as they go, but this past Sunday they were stuck in one gear.

Sure, the rain started coming down hard at an inopportune moment - right as the Pats began their final drive - and Tom Brady couldn't control the football which led to Jones' interception, but lets not forget that for 58 minutes prior to the Patriots' final drive, the weather was clear - the Pats didn't create opportunities to score and when they did create chance late in the game - they could not capitalize.

Does it mean the Pats aren't as good as we thought they were? It depends - the Falcons lost last night to the New York Jets, which makes the Patriots victory over the Falcons seem a bit less meaningful (because maybe the Falcons aren't as good as we thought they were). The fact is, the Pats are young on offense - that means ebbs and flows, trials and tribulations, any number of colloquial ups and downs - this offense will face them. They have a talented group of young receivers that are not always going to succeed right away.

The bright side, the Patriots defense still looks strong. Week after week the D continues to impress, even without Vince Wilfork in the mix against the Bengals, the D was able to keep their opponents to 13 points (only one TD against). Next week may prove to be the first real test of the Pats as a whole - they're coming off a frustrating loss to an inferior opponent, with zero production from the young offense, and the defense will have to take on Drew Brees and one of the more high powered offenses in the NFL.

Let's see how this team responds. Kick off at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro between the Patriots and Saints will be at 4:25PM this Sunday, October 13th.