The 3-7 Cincinnati Bengals will host the 9-2 New England Patriots. The Patriots are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak. The Bengals, meanwhile, have lost three games in a row. Let’s take a look at a few of the key players on the Bengals side of the ball for this one.
Tee Higgins
Ja’Marr Chase will be suspended for one game from the spitting incident toward Jalen Ramsey. This is a spot I would like to put Jermaine Burton in, but what are the odds he is even active Sunday? With that said, I will go with Tee Higgins as a key player for this game. The Bengals are paying him wide receiver one money, with Chase out, they need him to play like wide receiver one this week. I would expect Joe Flacco to go his way early and often against the Patriots. In previous games with Ja’Marr Chase out, Higgins has averaged over 100 yards on six catches per game. He will need to put up even bigger numbers than that, based on the Bengals’ defense this season.
Myles Murphy
Murphy had the best game of his career against the Steelers. He had six pressures, five run stops, and combined with BJ Hill for a sack. With Trey Hendrickson not expected to play, the Bengals will need another big game from Murphy. He will need to get pressure on Drake Maye. He will also need to help try to contain TreVeyon Henderson in the running game. Henderson scored three touchdowns in the last game he played. Slowing him down will be critical for the Bengals’ defense.
Barrett Carter
Carter is going to continue being a key player week in and week out for this team. His play has been hard to watch lately. He cannot tackle in the open field, consistently gets run through, and he isn’t even showing the athleticism that was supposed to be his calling card in the NFL. He is still a rookie, but the rest of this season could go a long way in determining how high the Bengals decide to spend a draft pick on the position again in 2026.
The Patriots will look to get the ball out in space to Henderson. Getting him matched up against Carter is likely high on the list of priorities for that New England offense. This feels like another week we will see Carter getting completely juked out of his shoes in the open field. I expect Carter will be involved in some highlight plays, just not ones that he is making.
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