FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Good evening from Gillette Stadium, where the Cincinnati Bengals are less than three hours away from taking on the New England Patriots in an important early-season conference contest. Win this one, and the Bengals can solidify their place atop the AFC, and also ensure their spot among the NFL's elite.
As the teams start trickling onto the field for the start of pregame warmups, here are a few items to be aware of before Sunday night's coin toss:
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET/NBC
Weather at kickoff: 50 degrees, winds at 6 mph, no chance of precipitation, according to Weather.com.
Records: Cincinnati (3-0), New England (2-2)
Last time out: The Bengals beat the Titans 33-7 in Week 3 before going on their bye last week. The Patriots lost 41-14 at Kansas City on Monday night.
Last meeting: Cincinnati came out on top the last time the teams played, holding on to win 13-6 last October when cornerback Adam Jones tipped a Tom Brady pass to himself before intercepting it to ice the victory. The Bengals' defense also didn't allow Brady to have a passing touchdown. It was the first time in 53 games that he didn't register a score.
Matchup of the game: Keep a close eye Sunday night on what the Bengals do about blocking veteran defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. The lineman didn't play last season when the Bengals and Patriots met. Even with him in the game, though, it's possible to exploit interior running lanes. The Chiefs proved that last Monday when their two backs, Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, paced their rushing attack to the tune of 207 yards. Remember, the Bengals have a two-man running back tandem, too, and probably wouldn't mind exploiting a few of the holes the Chiefs were able to run through last week.
Stat to watch: 3.6. That's the average yards per carry the Bengals have amassed to this point this season. If Cincinnati can get the type of push and blocking that the Chiefs had last week, it's likely that number will go up after this game. The ground game has been a point of emphasis all season, particularly because of the struggles the Bengals have had so far in that area. Their goal is to average 4.5 per carry.
Green watch: Also pay attention to Bengals receiver A.J. Green, who made it on Cincinnati's injury report Friday. It was the first time he was listed on the injury report all week. He was listed as probable with a toe injury. Remember, he hurt his left big toe three weeks ago against the Falcons. It was an injury that kept him out for all but six plays of that game, and one that he battled through in the Week 3 win against Tennessee. With Green matched against Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis, we'll have to see how well he's able to push off and get separation at the line.
Bengals' defensive ranks: Points allowed per game (1st), points margin per game (1st), third-down conversion rate (2nd), opposing quarterbacks' QBR (3rd), yards per passing attempt (1st), yards per play (5th).
