The New England Patriots (7-7) host the Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) on Saturday (1pm).

The Cincinnati Bengals come into town as the current third-seed in the AFC playoffs. They still have a chance to sneak into the top two for prime homefield advantage. Expect a motivated squad that’s ready to put down the Patriots like the dogs they are in the 2022 season.

New England’s offense, outside of RB Rhamondre Stevenson, is in shambles. HC Bill Belichick will still field a respectable defense, and the Bengals don’t tend to blow out opponents. The game will look tighter on the scoreboard than it looks on the field. A workman-like effort from Cincinnati will be enough to put away a demoralized Patriots squad.

Last week’s action

The less said, the better.

The New England Patriots lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 24-30 on a soul-crushing play with no time left on the clock. After the Raiders tied it up late in the fourth quarter, all signs pointed to overtime. All the Patriots had to do was run out the clock on a final possession, but RB Rhamondre Stevenson got fancy with a lateral, then WR Jakobi Meyers tried to loft the ball back to QB Mac Jones only to have it intercepted by ex-Patriot DE Chandler Jones, who steamrolled over Jones to score a walk off touchdown. The insane majesty of the play has to be seen to be believed.

Because the play was so insane, there will be a tendency to read into it too deeply as a kind of grave marker for the 2022 season. In truth, it’s just a crazy play that could have happened to any team, any season, any record. But that it happened to the 2022 New England Patriots surprises no one. It’s that kind of year.

Crazy play aside, the New England defense played well enough to win, but 112 yards and no TDs from Mac Jones is not going to get the job done. Rhamondre Stevenson continues to play out of his mind, racking up 172 yards on the ground on 19 carries. If the team could have gotten to overtime, Stevenson’s legs would have given them a chance. It’s a cruel irony that the running back that kept the team in the game also had a hand in torpedoing their chances.

What we’re wondering

Are the Patriots headed to total end-of-season collapse?

The moribund Las Vegas Raiders were the softest opponent of their final four games, which pits the Pats against the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills. The signs of internal dysfunction are everywhere in Foxboro. On another team you might have a locker room revolt, as frustrated as the players are with the feckless approach to offensive strategy and game planning this year. But at Gillette Stadium, the apathy level is so high, hardly anyone can be bothered to point a finger. There seems to be a silent consensus, top to bottom, to Irish-goodbye to the offseason. We might not see another Patriots win until the end of 2023.

Does the team keep riding RB Rhamondre Stevenson?

He’s got an ankle injury – do they go back to him as soon as possible? He’s been the workhorse of the offense, covering for an injured RB Damien Harris and a fruitless passing attack. The coaches might convince themselves to keep calling his number as long as there’s a hair’s breadth of a chance that the Patriots can progress into the postseason. But when that final hope is extinguished, it would be best to take the foot off the pedal and work in some of the promising rookie running backs to lighten Stevenson’s load.

What we’re watching for

Can WR Jakobi Meyers rebound?

WR Jakobi Meyers was in a bad headspace after the Raiders loss. He blamed himself for the last-minute botched play that ruined the Patriots’ chance to compete in overtime. Many observers agreed. The standard-issue rebuttal is that no single player or single play wins or loses a game: it’s a 60-minute effort. Sounds nice. Does Meyer believe it? Let’s watch to see if he bounces back against the Bengals. He’s been a reliable chain mover all season and the Patriots need more, not less, of that in their life.

Mac Jones: nothing to play for and everything to lose

Let’s watch to see how Mac Jones finishes out the season. We’re entering territory that few thought we’d be entering after a sparkling rookie year campaign from Jones. We’re asking: is this the franchise quarterback we can win with? Never mind whether he’s the next Brady. The team just wants to know whether Jones is good enough to build a playoff contender with. 2022 has been a tough year that will mostly get pinned on OC Matt Patricia if Mac Jones can finish the year with respectable play. But if he serves up a string of stinkers, the narrative all summer will be about hitting the reset button at the quarterback position.

For Boston Fans

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