Week 4 Game Recap: New England Patriots 38, Cincinnati Bengals 13

What you need to know

New England Patriots

Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon continue to share the New England backfield duties and combined for nearly 200 yards and three scores. Both of Maroney’s touchdowns came at the end of double digit runs, while it took Dillon three attempts from inside the one yard line to cross the stripe for his score. The veteran, Dillon, fought and spun for the hard yards while Maroney looked like a homerun threat on many of his touches. Dillon finished with 67 yards on 17 carries while Maroney posted 125 yards on 15 carries.

If you’re keeping track of the Patriots’ depth chart, it’s officially time to move Doug Gabriel into the number one wide receiver spot. Though he finished the game with only 57 yards on four catches, he was targeted nine times and Tom Brady was obviously looking for Gabriel when he dropped back to pass.

The Patriots came with a variety of different defensive looks in this game, attempting to wreak havoc on Carson Palmer and the Bengals’ offense. Palmer handled it well early on, operating without a huddle and effectively changing calls at the line of scrimmage. New England hurried or hit Palmer often, but did not record any sacks until the fourth quarter when the Bengals were in catch up mode. Two of those sacks resulted in Palmer fumbles, which really sealed the Bengals’ fate.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB Carson Palmer and the Bengals came out throwing, putting the ball in the air on 13 of their first 18 plays from scrimmage. They moved the ball well on both of their first two possessions, but fizzled out before reaching the red zone and settled for a pair of field goals. Their offense really went down hill from there as they went three and out on their next three possessions. Meanwhile, their defense allowed a pair of touchdowns and the Patriots never looked back.

Early in this game, it looked like the Chad Johnson show might return to Cincinnati as he was targeted ten times in the first half. He left the field, injured, one play before halftime after stretching out for a pass near the sideline and hitting the ground hard. He returned in the second half, but was targeted only three times, catching two of the three balls. Johnson’s second half production was certainly affected by Carson Palmer’s inability to hold on to the ball and sustain drives, but the injury could be something to watch out for also.

After exploding in weeks one and two, RB Rudi Johnson has been kept fairly quiet in the past two contests. Thankfully for Johnson owners, he found the end zone in the third quarter while the game was still close, because the lopsided score of this contest thereafter meant the running game was done for the day. Johnson finished with 65 yards on only 14 carries.

WR Chris Henry was inactive for this game because of disciplinary reasons.

What you ought to know

QB Tom Brady, Pass: 15 - 26 - 188 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 21 - 0

Brady was picked off in the first quarter when he threw a bit high and behind Doug Gabriel, who tipped it up for DB Tory James for the interception. That’s about the only mistake Brady made in this game as he moved well in the pocket, scrambled 22 yards for a first down and took no sacks. His 15 of 26 for 188 yards stat line is nothing to write home about, but he did record a pair of touchdown passes and did everything his team needed to pick up the win.

RB Corey Dillon, Rush: 17 - 67 - 1

Dillon shared the backfield with rookie RB Laurence Maroney once again and found 67 yards on 17 mostly tough carries. He scored on his third attempt from inside the one yard line. Splitting carries with the speedy Maroney should help keep Dillon’s veteran body fresh for the long haul, but it certainly eats into his fantasy productivity.

RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 15 - 125 - 2, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (1 targets)

Maroney had a very solid day for the Patriots, rushing 15 times for 125 yards and a pair of scores. His 25 yard touchdown in the third quarter was aided by some very nice blocking, but Maroney also did his part in stiff arming a defender to the ground before high stepping his way over the stripe. His 41 yard run in the next series was one defender away from being a 61 yard touchdown. Maroney looks like the real deal, a fierce combination of speed and power, and sharing the backfield with Corey Dillon seems to be a successful option for the Patriots’ offense.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 5 - 12 - 0

Evans had five carries in fourth quarter garbage time.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (2 targets)

The Patriots’ third down and long yardage back wasn’t needed much in this game. He caught one of his two targets for 18 yards.

WR Doug Gabriel, Rec: 4 - 57 - 1 (9 targets)

Gabriel seems to have a firm grasp of the Patriots’ offense now and has stepped into the number one wide receiver spot. He was targeted nine times, catching four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. While these numbers are far from spectacular, he was obviously the primary look for Tom Brady and did most of his damage in the first half when the outcome of this game was still in question.

WR Reche Caldwell, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (4 targets)

Caldwell took a monster hit to the helmet in the third quarter and stayed down, but eventually left under his own power and was seen mouthing, “I’m okay” on the sidelines. Miraculously, he returned to the field on New England’s next possession. He finished the game with a pair of catches for 20 yards on four targets.

WR Troy Brown

With WR Doug Gabriel up to speed in the Patriots’ offense, Brown has faded back into the woodwork. He was more visible on the defensive side of the ball than on offense.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 4 - 34 - 1 (6 targets)

Ben Watson may be the number one TE on the Patriots’ roster, but Graham saw double the number of targets and was the only TE targeted in the end zone. There was nobody wearing Bengal brown within ten yards of Graham when Tom Brady hit him for six points on a play action pass in the fourth quarter.

TE Ben Watson, Rec: 1 - 35 - 0 (3 targets)

Watson saw only three targets in this game, all in the first half, but made the best of his lone catch netting 35 yards.

TE Dave Thomas (1 targets)

The rookie TE was targeted in the red zone amidst five Corey Dillon rushing plays.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 1 - 2 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points

He missed wide right from 48 yards in the third quarter, but hit from 24 yards later and was five for five on extra points.

NE Rush Defense

The Patriots’ line held Rudi Johnson in check for the first three quarters of action, limiting him to 62 yards on 13 carries and one score. With the Bengals playing from behind, Johnson only attempted one rush in the fourth quarter.

NE Pass Defense

New England’s defense mixed things up a bit in this game, giving Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer a variety of different looks. Palmer battled back by going no huddle and found some early success, but was hit or hurried often. Palmer completed only two passes longer than 20 yards and fumbled twice on consecutive series in the fourth quarter.

QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 20 - 35 - 245 - 0 TD / 0 INT

Palmer was getting blitzed and hit hard almost from the get go, but managed to complete a slew of early passes anyway. He got WR Chad Johnson involved early, but couldn’t finish drives, settling for two early field goal attempts. The game was still within reach early in the fourth quarter before Palmer committed a pair of fumbles on consecutive series, ultimately ending the Bengals’ hopes. The two fumbles were Palmer’s sixth and seventh of the season, surpassing his total of five fumbles committed all of last season. He finished 20 of 35 for 245 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 14 - 65 - 1, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (4 targets)

Johnson had a relatively quiet game, posting 65 yards on only 14 carries. He found the end zone from two yards out in the third quarter, but Carson Palmer dug the Bengals’ offense into a huge hole early in the fourth quarter and Johnson saw only two more carries the remainder of the game.

RB Kenny Watson, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets)

Watson saw his usual amount of limited action.

RB Quincy Wilson, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0

Wilson saw a pair of carries in fourth quarter garbage time.

RB Jeremi Johnson, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets)

The big FB caught one ball for six yards.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 6 - 64 - 0 (13 targets)

Johnson looked to have the hot hands in the first half when he was targeted ten times by QB Carson Palmer, catching four balls for 46 yards. Johnson was shaken up just before halftime when he stretched out for a pass near the sideline and landed hard on his right side. He went into the locker room early and returned in the second half, but was targeted only three more times in the game. He finished with six catches for 64 yards.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 4 - 95 - 0 (7 targets)

Houshmandzadeh recorded his second consecutive game as the Bengals’ leading receiver since returning from a hamstring injury. He caught four passes for 95 yards, including QB Carson Palmer’s two longest plays of the game.

WR Kelley Washington, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (3 targets)

Washington caught all three passes thrown his way by Carson Palmer, recording 28 total yards.

WR Antonio Chatman (2 targets)

The former Green Bay Packer saw his first action as a Bengals’ receiver today, but did not catch either of his two targets.

TE Tony Stewart, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (3 targets)

Stewart caught a pair of balls, netting ten yards on the day.

TE Reggie Kelly (3 targets)

Kelly saw half of the Bengals’ six TE targets on the day, but did not record a catch.

PK Shayne Graham 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points

Graham was a perfect two for two, hitting from 40 and 45 yards in the first quarter. He also made his only extra point attempt.

CIN Rush Defense

The Bengals’ rush defense gave up nearly 250 yards and three rushing touchdowns, mostly to the two-headed monster comprised of Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney. Dillon hit them with power while Maroney provided speed and broke off long runs of 25 and 41 yards. This was certainly the Achilles’ heel for Cincinnati in this game.

CIN Pass Defense

New England QB Tom Brady was held to a modest 15 of 26 for 188 yards passing day, but this was due mostly to the Patriots’ ability to dominate the running game. Brady was not sacked and seldom saw enough pressure to warrant any distress.