Patriots-Bengals LIVE Blog: Brady Throws Late Pick, Bengals Hold On For 13-6 Win
BOSTON (CBS) - Follow along for all the updates in the Patriots-Bengals matchup in Cincinnati.
Final -- Bengals 13, Patriots 6: Well, that's all she wrote in this one.
Brady's streak of 52 games with a touchdown pass will come to an end, as he was just picked off by Adam Jones looking for Aaron Dobson in the end zone.
The Patriots fall to 4-1 on the season as the offense musters just six points and 248 yards.
The defense did all they could in this one, but the offense couldn't pick up the slack.
Brady and company were just 1-for-12 on third down, and 0-for-1 in the red zone. Brady himself was just 18-for-38 fir 197 yards in what could be his worst regular game in a Patriot uniform.
They'll have to be much better next week when they welcome the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints to Gillette. It would also help if Rob Gronkowski returns, and expect another week of "will he play, won't he play."
Stick with CBSBostonsports.com for a full wrap up of this one. You can also hear Tom Brady and Bill Belichick live on 98.5 The Sports Hub's postgame show, and on Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38.
4th Quarter, 0:33: The Patriots got a huge break with Bengals safety Chris Crocker jumping offsides on fourth-and-5, but have a long way to go to find the end zone.
4th Quarter, 2:00: The Patriots D comes up with another stop on third down, stuffing Green-Ellis at the line.
The Bengals face a fourth-and-2 as we hit the two-minute warning. Cincy is 6-for-14 on third downs, while the Patriots are just 1-for-11.
The Patriots will have another chance for a come-back, but it's also pouring now. Brady and company struggled enough in the dry conditions, so this will complicate things even more.
4th Quarter, 2:32: This is just a sad display by the New England offense today.
Brady couldn't hook up with Dobson deep on first down, thanks in large part to a nice defensive play by Terence Newman. Amendola dropped a short pass on second down, and then Brady was sacked for the fourth time today on third-and-10.
Another punt for Allen, and another lost opportunity for the Patriots' offense.
4th Quarter, 3:25: The Bengals just gave the Patriots new life.
After picking up a first down it looked liked the Bengals would be able tu run out the clock. But on the next play, the back fumbled after being hit by Devin McCourty, and Jerod Mayo picked it up at the Cincinnati 44.
Now the offense needs to show up.
4th Quarter, 6:28 -- Bengals 13, Patriots 6: Danny Amendola made a spectacular grab (and that is understating it) to get the Patriots to the Cincy 1, but once against the offense stalled.
Blount was stuffed on first-and-goal, Brady attempted to go to Nate Solder on second-and-goal but the couldn't connect, and Edelman couldn't hang on to a third-and-goal pass that would have cut the Bengals lead to six.
Belichick opted to kick the field goal, and the Pats find themselves down 13-6 after a 19-yard kick by Gostkowski.
Baby steps, I guess.
Also, Tommy Kelly is questionable to return with his knee injury.
4th Quarter, 8:23: Always an adventure with Aaron Dobson...
The rookie receiver made a great play on a short catch and turned it into a 56-yard catch-and-run. But as he made his final cut, he coughed up the ball. Luckily for his sake, the ball was only a few feet away and he was able to pounce on it.
Pats are in business at the Cincy 17, but they need seven here, not just three.
4th Quarter, 9:21 -- Bengals 13, Patriots 3: The Patriots will have to find the end zone if they want to get back into this one.
After the Patriots defense came up with stops on first, second, and third-and-goal, the Bengals went for it one fourth-and-goal and it paid off. Green-Ellis got a great push up the middle and went in for the game's first touchdown to put Cincinnati on top 13-3.
They've done a pretty good job without Wilfork this afternoon, but that fourth-and-goal play is where the Patriots really miss the big fella.
Tom Brady and company will have to score twice now in the final 9:21, after only scoring once in the first 50 minutes.
4th Quarter, 10:20: The Bengals face a third-and-goal at the New England 1, but there is some good news.
Tommy Kelly just returned to the field.
Without Kelly, the Patriots stuffed Green-Ellis on first and second down, keeping the Bengals off the board.
4th Quarter, 14:18: It's bad enough the Patriots offense can't seem to do anything today, but it looks like the defense just took a big hit.
Tommy Kelly hit the field after giving chase on a Dalton scramble, grabbing his knee in pain. There was no contact by another player on the play.
Kelly walked off on his own power, but with a little limp. With Vince Wilfork already lost for the season, losing Kelly for any amount of time would put even more stress on the New England defensive line.
End 4th Quarter -- Bengals 6, Patriots 3: The Bengals close the third quarter driving, after the Patriots missed out on a big opportunity for good field position.
A second-down sack by Tommy Kelly had the Bengals at their own 2-yard line, but Dalton hit Marvin Jones for 28 yards on third-and-15 (making McCourty and Kyle Arrington look bad in the process).
On the very next play, Giovani Bernard (who had just 13 rushing yards on the day) broke a 28-yard run up the middle to the New England 42.
It's been 115:55 minutes since the Bengals last scored a touchdown on offense. Time for the Patriots to keep that streak going.
3rd Quarter, 2:10: The Patriots' offense just doesn't have it today.
Julian Edelman picked up a first down on a nice juggling catch, but after that it was just another stalled drive by New England.
Brady felt some pressure on first down and threw to no-one over the middle, Bolden was stuffed on second down, and then stopped two-yards shy on third-and-5 after a Cincy off-sides negated another sack of Brady.
The Patriots are now just 1-for-9 on third downs. Yuck.
Punter Ryan Allen is one of the busiest Patriots today with seven punts, averaging 42 yards. His latest boot went 43 yards and was downed at the Cincinnati 7.
3rd Quarter, 5:43 -- Bengals 6, Patriots 3: The Bengals get more points, but the Patriots defense once again kept them out of the end zone.
After Dalton's big completion to Sanu, Jerod Mayo stepped up for a big sack on first down for an 8-yard loss. After a one-yard run by Bernard, Dalton airmailed it over Green and Talib came down with it, but couldn't get his second foot in bounds before leaving the end zone.
The Bengals have 210 yards compared to the Patriots' 137, but still only have six points on the board.
If only the offense could get something (anything!) going. They'll take over on their own 22 after a 22-yard kickoff return by Devin McCourty.
3rd Quarter, 7:36: The Bengals are now picked the Patriots' apart, with Dalton completing back-to-back passes for first down to get to the New England 25.
Dalton hit Eifert for 12 yards and followed that up with a 17 yards strike to Sanu.
Pats safety Steve Gregory was shaken up on the play, walking off the field with what looks like a right arm/shoulder injury. Rookie Duron Harmon has taken his spot, but it looks like Gregory will be abck soon.
3rd Quarter, 12:01: The Pats pick up a first down, but not much else on their first drive of the second half.
The Patriots are now just 1-for-8 on third downs after Brady was tripped up by linebacker Vontez Burfict for Cincinnati's third sack on the day.
That set up another Ryan Allen punt, which was downed at the Bengals' 9-yard line.
3rd Quarter, 14:24: Nothing doing for the Bengals, as the Patriots' D forces another three-and-out.
Dalton went to A.J. Green twice, but couldn't connect on either of the passes. Aqib Talib made a nice pass-deflection on third down, as Rob Ninkovich applied the pressure on Dalton.
Pats take over on their own 45 after a nice punt return from Edelman.
Halftime -- Patriots 3, Bengals 3:
The Patriots avoid being shut out in the first half for the first time since Christmas Eve 2011 thanks to a 42-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.
The Pats picked up 25 yards on the short drive, enough to give Gostkowski the chance to tie it. Nearly all of that was picked up on the first play of the drive, a 21-yard completion to Danny Amendola over the middle of the field.
Brady finished the half 11-for-20 for 90 yards. Amendola is leading the way with three receptions for 39 yards, with Bolden chipping in with three for 24 yards. Blount is leading the way on the ground with 42 yards on nine carries, but has only seen one snap since his fumble early in the second quarter.
The Bengals D has done a very good job pressuring Brady today, sacking him twice and delivering five more QB hits. On offense they've tested the defensive line without Vince Wilfork, rushing the ball 17 times for 61 yards.
The Pats meanwhile have done a good job containing A.J. Green, who has just two receptions for 29 yards on two targets.
The Bengals will get the ball to start the second half.
2nd Quarter, 0:37: The defense held and forced another three-and-out, so the Patriots offense will get one more shot to put some points on the board before the half. The drive will start on the Cincy 49.
2nd Quarter, 1:07: Another Patriots drive comes up short, as Ryan Allen comes on for his fifth punt of the day.
Nothing went right after the two-minute warning, as Brady went low to Amendola over the middle on first-and-10. Amendola couldn't catch up with the pass, as Brady went down thanks to Carlos Dunlap after the throw.
An Aaron Dobson screen went nowhere but backwards for a four-yard loss on second down, and a long third-down pass to Kenbrell Thompkins would have moved the chains, but after a review it was clear the ball hit the ground before the receiver could make the catch.
2nd Quarter, 2:00: The Pats are driving a bit as we hit the two-minute warning.
Brady just completed a nice pass to Julian Edelman, who made a nicer catch along the sidelines for 18 yards to the Cincy 42.
It's the second first down of the drive, as Amendola ran a nice route to pick up 11 yards on the first play. We'll see if the Pats can put some points on the board before the half.
2nd Quarter, 3:12: We have points on the board, though I'm sure Cincinnati is frustrated it was only three.
The Bengals were driving, with Dalton completing two big passes to A.J. Green -- his first two receptions of the day -- and another to Marvin Jones to get his team close to the red zone. But Mayo stuffed Bernard after a two-yard run on first-and-10, and then rookie Chris Jones came through with a sack of Dalton, rushing right up the middle for a nine-yard loss setting up a third-and-17.
Dalton went to Mohamed Sanu on third down, who was stopped well before the first down line by Alfonzo Dennard.
Mike Nugent booted a 39-yarder to put Cincinnati on the board.
The Pats will take over at their own 21 after a 25-yard kickoff return by Devin McCourty. McCourty is back returning kicks with Leon Washington nursing an ankle injury. The Pats' back is questionable to return.
It looks like Brandon Bolden will be the running back for this series, as Blount thinks about his fumble on the bench.
2nd Quarter, 8:02: The Patriots finally made it into Bengals' territory, but promptly turned it over thanks to a Blount fumble.
Carlos Dunlap punched the ball out as Blount made his second-effort, and Reggie Nelson pikced it up and returned it six yards to the Bengals 30. It's hard to fault Blount on that one, as Dunlap made a great play to make up for a horse-collar tackle he was whistled for just a few plays earlier.
Sebastian Vollmer may have saved a touchdown on Nelson, who had a clear path to the end zone if it wasn't for the tackle.
2nd Quarter, 9:03: The Patriots defense comes up with another big stop, forcing their second three-and-out on the day.
Chandler Jones and Spikes stuffed Bernard for no gain on second-and-6, and Jerod Mayo read a short pass to the back perfectly to stop him well ahead of the first down marker.
The Patriots get an extra five yards on the punt, with a Bengals player going out of bounds on his own and getting in on the play. The Patriots take over on their own 46, so maybe they'll actually make it into Bengals territory on this drive.
2nd Quarter, 10:57 -- The Patriots offense looked a little better on that last possession, but still have nothing to show for it. They managed to pick up a pair of first downs on a nice 14-yard screen to Bolden on a third-and-3, and another on a nice end-around by Julian Edelman, but again failed to get passed mid-field.
Danny Amendola caught his first pass of the day, a seven-yard reception on the first play of the drive. But Brady overshot him a bit on a third-and-7, forcing Ryan Allen's fourth punt of the day.
Amendola looks to be running pretty well though, so that is a good sign so far.
Brady is just 5-for-9 for 38 yards on the day.
End 1st -- 0-0: The Bengals were driving, and had the ball down to the Patriots' 9-yard line, but Dalton threw a terrible pass across his body looking for tight end Tyler Eifert which was picked off by Brandon Spikes.
The Bengals were moving the ball too, with Dalton completing big passes to both of his tight ends in Eifert and Jermaine Gresham. But that one terrible pass takes points off the board for the Bengals. It was the first red zone interception of Dalton's career.
That makes it 32 straight games the Patriots' have forced a turnover -- extending their NFL record.
The Pats will start at their own eight yard line.
1st Quarter -- 4:26: Still scoreless in this one, as the Pats offense picks up a pair of first downs but fail to made it passed mid-field.
Blount picked up a first down with a nice 10-yard run on the first play of the drive, and Kenbrell Thompkins picked up another on a nice move on a screen on a second-and-3 (getting down low and diving passed Adam Jones for the first), but a dropped pass by Bolden and more pressure from the Cincy pass-rush led to another Ryan Allen punt.
Brady's pocket was collapsing on third-and-7, as Nate Solder was pushed back by defensive end Magus Hunt. The offensive line will have to figure things out soon, or it could be a long day for Brady.
1st Quarter, 7:47: The Patriots' pass-rush is also getting involved early one, with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich getting to Andy Dalton on second-and-12 despite a holding penalty on the Bengals.
It was just the eighth sack allowed by Cincy this season, and it set up a third-and-20 for Dalton and Co.
They only picked up six yards on a pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham, so the Patriots force a big three-and-out. Now it's up to the offense to get something going, as they don't have a first down yet.
A long punt though has them set up at their own 12.
1st Quarter -- 8:51: The Bengals' pass-rush is as good as advertised, getting to Brady again on the Patriots' second possession.
This time it was Wallace Gillbury, who beat Nate Solder off the edge on third down and got to Brady and eight yard loss. That's two sacks given up by Solder on the first two possessions of the game. He had been strong so far this season, not allowing a QB hit throughout the first four weeks.
The Bengals now take over on their own 37.
1st Quarter -- 10:39: The Bengals are going to test the Patriots defensive line today, as they ran the ball four straight times to begin their day.
Former Patriot BenJarvis Green-Ellis picked up 13 yards on his first run, but the Pats were able to contain him on his following three tries. Jerod Mayo came up and made a nice stop on 3rd-and-5, stopping Green-Ellis a few yards shy of the first down.
The Patriots will once again take over inside their own 20, as Julian Edelman's punt return went for just 10 yards to the New England 14.
1st Quarter -- 13:07: Here's a new one. The Patriots won the coin toss, and elected to receive. Bill Belichick changing it up a bit today.
Leon Washington returned the kickoff, but only got to the 13-yard line.
It didn't take long for Brady to get acquainted with Cincy's Geno Atkins. The Pro Bowler sacked Brady for a nine-yard loss on second down. It was a play-action play and Brady had no clue Atkins was coming his way. It's just the eighth time Brady has been sacked this season.
Amendola did not get the start, but was in there for third down. That play was a dump pass to Brandon Bolden that came up well short of the first down, so the Pats start the day three-and-out.
Pregame -- 12:50 p.m.: Of course, after we told you it was supposed to rain for most of the game, the skies have cleared a bit in Cincy.
But rain is still in the forecast, so we'll see how long the sunny skies last.
Bill Belichick said in his pregame interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub he is confident in his three active running backs, Blount, Bolden and Leon Washington, and expects Washington to provide another spark on kick returns.
Field position will be important in this one, given the soggy field and likely declining conditions.
Pregame -- 12:17 p.m.: The Patriots look to improve to 5-0 on the season in a rainy Cincinnati this afternoon.
The weather could play a factor in this one, as it rained all Saturday night and while there might be a break early on, it is expected to be wet throughout the game. There could even be a rumble of thunder or two.
That could mean a steady dose of running backs throughout the afternoon, with the Patriots relying heavily on LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden with Stevan Ridley out for this one. On the Bengals' side, rookie Giovani Bernard and former Patriot BenJarvis Green-Ellis could see plenty of carries, as Cincinnati tries to exploit New England's loss of Vince Wilfork.
Without Wilfork, it will be up to the rest of the defensive line to pick up the slack. Rookies Joe Vellano and Chris Jones will try to fill that rather large void, but everyone will have to step up. Chandler Jones can expect to see a lot of attention now, with those double-teams normally reserved for Wilfork likely shifting over to him.
But the big matchup that everyone will be watching is Aqib Talib vs. A.J. Green. Talib is coming off a great week against Atlanta's Julio Jones, and the Patriots D hasn't let an opposing receiver find the end zone since Week 1. This week will be just as tough as last for Talib against the talented Green, but he's more than up to the challenge. It should be a lot of fun to watch Talib, or Green, go to work today.
The Patriots will get a boost on offense with the return of receiver Danny Amendola, who is active after he missed three weeks with a groin injury. It will be interesting to see how much he plays, given the injury and the weather conditions. But ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss said on WBZ-TV's Patriots GameDay that Amendola wasn't just jogging on the field pregame, he was sprinting, which is a good sign for the receiver and the Pats.
In case you missed it, here is Levan Reid and Reiss' thoughts on today's matchup from GameDay:
One final note from last night. The Pats promote rookie safety Kanorris Davis and rookie linebacker Ja'Gared Davis from the practice squad to take up the two open spots on the 53-man roster. Both are active on Sunday, and figure to contribute on special teams.
Follow along for all the updates throughout the game, or tune in to the action on WBZ-TV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, or streaming live on CBSBostonsports.com!
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