New England Patriots are in for a relatively easy test against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. The team had hoped to face Joe Burrow, the Bengals' star quarterback who has been sidelined with an injury, but it seems that won't be the case.
Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 and was initially expected to miss three months. However, recent reports suggested he might return by Thanksgiving, sparking hopes that he could play against his old team this weekend. But after being limited at practice on Friday and listed as questionable for Sunday's game, Burrow will likely stay on the sidelines.
Instead, Bengals backup quarterback Joe Flacco is set to start in place of Burrow. While Flacco has performed well since joining the team, including throwing for 1,453 yards and 12 touchdowns over five games, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that he needs to be ready for a mobile opponent like Flacco.
The Patriots' defense, which has struggled with passing yardage this season, is likely relieved by Burrow's absence. However, they will still need to adjust their gameplan to account for the Bengals' new starting quarterback.
Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 and was initially expected to miss three months. However, recent reports suggested he might return by Thanksgiving, sparking hopes that he could play against his old team this weekend. But after being limited at practice on Friday and listed as questionable for Sunday's game, Burrow will likely stay on the sidelines.
Instead, Bengals backup quarterback Joe Flacco is set to start in place of Burrow. While Flacco has performed well since joining the team, including throwing for 1,453 yards and 12 touchdowns over five games, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that he needs to be ready for a mobile opponent like Flacco.
The Patriots' defense, which has struggled with passing yardage this season, is likely relieved by Burrow's absence. However, they will still need to adjust their gameplan to account for the Bengals' new starting quarterback.
. The Bengals have other solid players who can step up and fill in for Joe Burrow, like Joe Flacco. Sure, he's not as explosive as Burrow, but he's still got game 
. And let's be real, the Patriots defense is super inconsistent this season 
. They've struggled with passing yardage already, so I don't think they'll have an easy time against Flacco either 
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. It's not like he's gonna come back and completely change the Bengals' offense overnight 
. The Patriots need to focus on their own weaknesses, not get too hyped about what could've been 
. This is gonna be a solid game, but let's keep things in perspective 
anyway, flacco's got to step up and show he can lead this team to a win against the patriots... it'll be interesting to see how that plays out 
. Now that he's out, they get to face a more predictable opponent in Flacco. I think it'll be a great opportunity for the Pats to gel as a team and work on their passing defense – those yards are gotta stop somewhere! 
The Bengals' offense just doesn't have the same oomph with Burrow gone, so I'm expecting a Patriots win 
Bengals backup QB Joe Flacco 
is gonna start over Burrow 
Patriots defense is def gona struggle against him 
Flacco has been slaying it since he joined, but that doesn't mean he's not mobile 
I'm low-key nervous for this one 
. The Patriots' defense is gonna have a much easier time if they just stick to what they do best: shutting down those big plays 
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. The real key is for the Patriots' defense to anticipate the Bengals' play-calling and adjust accordingly 
️. If they can do that, I think it's gonna be a pretty straightforward win for them 
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. The Patriots defense is gonna have a much easier time dealing with Flacco than they would've with Burrow. I mean, Burrow's mobile and all that, Flacco's more of a traditional QB so I think Pats can shut him down. Plus, Flacco's never started in the playoffs before so that might affect his nerves 
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the pats defense is def gonna struggle with flacco's scrambling abilities they need to step up their gameplan pronto! 
... i mean, they need to prepare for an opponent who can move around the field, but thats not gonna be a major issue 
, which should make their life pretty manageable 
. And honestly, their defense has been struggling all season so it's not like they're exactly in a position to be worried about someone new coming in 
