The New England Patriots’ first game of the post-Bill Belichick era took place last September at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium. The 16-10 upset, which resulted in head coach Jerod Mayo getting doused in Gatorade, was not a sign of things to come for the team: 14 months later, with the Patriots set to return to the Queen City, it is now led by a new head coach, Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots under Vrabel made a remarkable turnaround, and just last week secured their first winning season since 2021 and eighth straight victory. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is in a position similar to that 2024 New England team: at 3-7, their playoff hopes are effectively over, and change might be on the horizon.

With that all being said, let’s meet the Patriots’ upcoming opponent.

Bengals key stats

As noted above, the

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