CINCINNATI BENGALS One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE DEC. 10, 2019 WEEK 15, GAME 14 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-3) SUNDAY, DEC. 15 AT PAUL BROWN STADIUM AT NEXT WEEK: CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-12) DEC. 22 AT MIAMI GAME NOTES Kickoff: 1 p.m. Eastern. worry about all the things that come with the Patriots’ (history). You just need to attack them. They’re another opponent.” Television: The game will air on CBS-TV. In Cincinnati, it will be carried New England enters Sunday’s matchup with a 10-3 record, after suffering a by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12). Broadcasters are Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), James 23-16 loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs last week. Lofton (analyst) and Amanda Balionis (sideline reporter). The series: The Patriots lead 16-9, but the Bengals lead in games Radio: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati played in Cincinnati, 7-6. New England has won the last two meetings, 35-17 in flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and 2016 and 43-17 in ’14 (both played at Gillette Stadium). The Bengals won the WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave last meeting in Cincinnati, 13-6 at Paul Brown Stadium in 2013. Lapham (analyst). Cincinnati’s first victory in the series was a memorable one, as the 1970 The game also will air nationally on Sports USA Radio. Broadcasters are team won 45-7 over Boston at Riverfront Stadium to clinch the AFC Central Larry Kahn (play-by-play), John Robinson (analyst) and Troy West (sideline Division title. The Paul Brown-coached Bengals, in their third season, became at reporter). the time the youngest franchise ever to reach the playoffs. In 1988, a Super Bowl-bound Bengals team opened the season with a 6-0 Setting the scene: The Bengals this week return home to Paul start before losing 27-21 at New England in Game 7. Brown Stadium, where they will host the New England Patriots on Sunday. The series began at baseball’s storied Fenway Park. In an American Cincinnati stands at 1-12 on the season, after falling 27-19 on the road to the Football League game in 1968, the Patriots beat the expansion Bengals, 33-14. Cleveland Browns last week. The complete Bengals-Patriots series listing is on page 208 of the 2019 At first glance, Cincinnati put up what seemed to be a solid all-around Bengals Media Guide. showing against Cleveland. The Bengals’ offense gained a season-high 451 yards, HB Joe Mixon rushed for a career-high 146 yards and a TD, the team was Team bests from the series: plus-one in the turnover battle, and Browns QB Baker Mayfield was held to just a Bengals — MOST POINTS: 45, in a 45-7 win at Riverfront Stadium in 45.8 percent completion percentage and 38.9 passer rating. 1970. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 38, in the 45-7 win in 1970. FEWEST But Cincinnati fell short in a few critical areas. The Bengals scored just one POINTS ALLOWED: 6, in the most recent Bengals win, a 13-6 decision at TD on five trips inside the red zone, converted just three of 12 third downs, threw Cincinnati in 2013. a pick-six, and committed eight penalties for 99 yards. Patriots — MOST POINTS: 43, in the most recent meeting, in 2014 at “It was just the situational stuff that, if we’re going to get to where we want to New England. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 26, in the 2014 game. FEWEST be as a team, we need to do a better job at,” said Bengals head coach Zac POINTS ALLOWED: 2, in a 7-2 victory at New England in 1993. Taylor. “Third downs and red zone were really the situations that got us. Even in the two-minute offense at the end of the half — that brought us back. Those The last meetings: Summaries of the last two Bengals-Patriots were the situations that got us beat.” meetings — in 2014 and ’16, both at New England — are on page 14 of this Mixon highlighted the day for Cincinnati by posting a career-high 186 yards news release. from scrimmage, the most by a Bengals RB since Jeremy Hill in 2016 (192 vs. Cleveland). After a slow start to the season in which he averaged just 36.3 rushing yards over the first seven games, Mixon has been among the hottest BENGALS-PATRIOTS NFL RANKINGS running backs in the league in recent weeks. The third-year pro ranks third in the BENGALS PATRIOTS NFL in rushing yards (469) over the last five weeks, and first in attempts (105). SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): “It goes back to a lot of the guys on the coaching staff not having a big ego,” Points scored................................................. 31st (15.2) 8th (26.0) Taylor said of changes made during the team’s Week 9 bye. “We felt like we got Points allowed .............................................. 23rd (25.0) 1st (12.9) on track a little bit as we played the Rams (in Week 8), and then we spent the NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): whole bye week studying ourselves and saying, ‘OK, these are things that we’ve Total ........................................................... 25th (312.5) 15th (354.4) really spent a lot of time and energy on, it’s just not paying off for us.’ We just Rushing ........................................................ 28th (85.8) 23rd (96.2) wanted to be efficient and give ourselves an opportunity. You need to evolve.” Passing ....................................................... 18th (226.8) 9th (258.2) Added OT Bobby Hart: “Each week, we’ve been meeting together and just NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): figuring out how to get things going, and it’s been paying off. We have to Total ............................................................ 31st (399.5) 1st (264.8) continue to keep Joe running and keep Andy (Bengals QB Andy Dalton) clean, Rushing ..................................................... 32nd (156.7) 4th (93.0) and just grind out as many wins as we can the rest of the year.” Passing ....................................................... 19th (242.8) 2nd (171.8) Getting back into the win column and continuing the offensive momentum TURNOVERS: figure to be tall tasks this week, as Cincinnati faces a Patriots team that boasts Differential .............................................30th (minus-11) 1st (plus-19) the league’s top defense in both yards and points allowed. Taylor, who faced New England in last year’s Super Bowl while he was an assistant with the Rams, Bengals career records watch: Here is a look at potential said this week that his approach will not change. upcoming movement in the Bengals’ career records book (regular season): “It’s just another opponent for us,” Taylor said. “They’ve obviously had a lot ● QB Andy Dalton has 4334 career pass attempts, 141 behind QB Ken of success, but we just have to look at what they’ve done this year. You can’t Anderson (4475) for the Bengals’ all-time lead. — 1 — (Bengals career records watch, continued) DE John Simon played at Ohio State University ... Bengals QB Jake Dolegala played at Central Connecticut State University ... Patriots FB James Develin ● DE Carlos Dunlap has 78 career sacks, 5.5 shy of DE Eddie Edwards* (Reserve/Injured) entered the NFL as a practice squad signee of the Bengals in (83.5) for the Bengals’ all-time lead. Dunlap passed DT Geno Atkins (75.5) for 2010, and was with the team through ’12 preseason ... Bengals defensive second place all-time in Game 12 vs. the N.Y. Jets. coordinator Lou Anarumo coached at Harvard University from 1995-2000 ... ● Atkins has 75.5 career sacks, 2.5 shy of Dunlap (78) for second place all- Bengals offensive line coach Jim Turner is from Boston, Mass., and played time. Edwards* (83.5) is the Bengals’ all-time leader. fullback at Boston College from 1983-86. Turner also coached at Northeastern ● WR A.J. Green has 63 career receiving TDs, three behind WR Chad University from 1994-98 and Harvard University from 2000-02 ... Bengals Johnson (66) for the Bengals’ all-time lead. assistant offensive line coach Ben Martin is from Boston, Mass., and played at ● Green has 63 total TDs, one short of WR Carl Pickens and RB James Trinity (CT) College from 2001-05. Martin also coached at Curry (MA) College in Brooks (both with 64) for third place all-time. FB Pete Johnson (70) is the 2007, Merrimack (MA) College from ’08-09, and Bryant University in ’18 ... Bengals’ all-time leader. Bengals wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell is from Holliston, Mass, played TE at ● Bengals WR Alex Erickson has 106 career punt returns, 24 shy of CB Boston College from 1989-91, and coached at Boston University from 1993-97 ... Lemar Parrish (130) for third place all-time. WR Brandon Tate (153) is the Bengals linebackers coach Tem Lukabu coached at the University of Rhode Bengals’ all-time leader. Erickson passed S Tommy Casanova (91) for fifth place Island from 2008-09. all-time in Game 3 at Buffalo, and then passed CB Adam Jones (98) for fourth place all-time in Game 10 at Oakland. Red-zone reports: Here is a look at Cincinnati’s and New England’s ● Erickson has 798 career punt return yards, 317 shy of Jones (1115) for red-zone reports: fourth place all time. Tate (1411) is the Bengals’ all-time leader. Erickson passed BENGALS RED-ZONE REPORT Casanova (784) for fifth place all-time in Game 11 vs.