- The Patriots first offensive unit played the entire first quarter against Cincinnati and played most of the first half last week at Philadelphia. New England's first offensive unit has outscored its opponents 24-6 so far this preseason.
- The Patriots first defensive unit played the entire first quarter against the Bengals and has not allowed a touchdown in nine drives this preseason. (Six drives at Philadelphia and three vs. Cincinnati). In addition, the first defensive unit has not allowed its opponents inside the 20-yard line this preseason.
- Tonight, 13 different Patriots players caught a pass. Last week against Philadelphia, the Patriots had seven different players catch a pass.
- LB Adalius Thomas prevented a Cincinnati scoring attempt early in the second quarter when he registered a one-yard sack on a fourth-and-seven situation at the New England 27-yard line. Thomas is one of five active linebackers with 50 or more career sacks. (Joey Porter, Greg Ellis, DeMarcus Ware and Mike Vrabel).
- LB Jerod Mayo registered his first sack in a Patriots uniform when he dropped QB JT O'Sullivan for a six-yard loss in the first quarter. The 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year did not register a sack as a rookie in 2008 in the regular season or the preseason.
- RB Fred Taylor, who enters the 2009 season 16th on the NFL's All-Time Rushing list with 11,271 yards, made his Patriots debut tonight against the Bengals. He dressed but did not play at Philadelphia last week. Taylor finished with seven rushing attempts for 26 yards against Cincinnati.
- CB Darius Butler, a 2009 second round draft pick, was in the starting lineup at left cornerback. Butler is the second of the Patriots 12 draft picks to be in the starting lineup. Sixth-round pick Myron Pryor started at Philadelphia in the preseason-opener. Butler finished with five tackles, including a shared sack, a pass defensed, a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery.
- Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco kicked an extra point in the second quarter, joining Doug Flutie and Wes Welker as the only non-kickers to convert kicks at Gillette Stadium. Flutie converted a drop-kick for an extra point on Jan. 1, 2006, and Welker hit a 29-yard field goal while playing for the Dolphins against the Patriots on Oct. 10, 2004.
- Veteran wide receivers Greg Lewis and Joey Galloway were both in the starting lineup. The pair were acquired by the Patriots this offseason.
- TE Chris Baker, who caught two touchdown passes last week in his first action with the Patriots, made his second straight start.
- QB Tom Brady started the game and played through the first quarter. He finished four-of-eight for 57-yards and led the Patriots on a 10-play, 57-yard drive that ended in a 32-yard field goal.
- QB Kevin O'Connell entered the game in the second quarter. O'Connell finished eight-of-15 for 84 yards.
- Rookie QB Brian Hoyer made his professional debut in the third quarter and played into the fourth quarter. Hoyer was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Michigan State and finished the evening leading Patriots passers with 112 passing yards on 11-of-19 attempts.
- PK Stephen Gostkowski made both of his field goals attempts against the Bengals. He has hit 10 straight preseason field goal attempts, dating back to the 2007 preseason-finale.
- RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has a pair of 17-yard runs this preseason for the Patriots with a 17-yard run last week at Philadelphia and a 17-yard run tonight against Cincinnati. He finished tonight's game with a 4.4-yard average, gaining 44 yards on 10 carries.
Game Notes: Patriots vs. Bengals
New England moves to 1-1 on the preseason with a 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The following are notes from the game.
Aug 20, 2009 at 04:00 PM
This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
