The New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals will meet this weekend for the first time since 1994. The Patriots have won the last two games and nine of 16 games between the two teams. The home team has won 10 of the 16 contests, including five of the last six games.
The last two Patriots victories against the Bengals ignited three and four-game winning streaks, respectively. In 1993, the Patriots won 7-2 and went on to win the final four games of the season. Then in 1994, the Patriots won their first game of the season, 31-28 at Cincinnati and went on to a three-game winning streak.
A game-by-game look at the series is listed below:
| **DATE** | **RESULT** | **/-** | **Stadium** |
| 1968 | at NE 33, Cincinnati 14 | 19 | Fenway |
| 1969 | NE 25, at Cincinnati 14 | 11 | Riverfront |
| 1970 | at Cincinnati 45, NE 7 | -38 | Riverfront |
| 1972 | Cincinnati 31, at NE 7 | -24 | Schaefer |
| 1975 | at Cincinnati 27, NE 10 | -17 | Riverfront |
| 1978 | NE 10, at Cincinnati 3 | 7 | Riverfront |
| 1979 | NE 20, at Cincinnati 14 | 6 | Riverfront |
| 1984 | at NE 20, Cincinnati 14 | 6 | Sullivan |
| 1985 | at NE 34, Cincinnati 23 | 11 | Sullivan |
| 1986 | Cincinnati 31, at NE 7 | -24 | Sullivan |
| 1988 | at NE 27, Cincinnati 21 | 6 | Sullivan |
| 1990 | at Cincinnati 41, NE 7 | -34 | Riverfront |
| 1991 | at Cincinnati 29, NE 7 | -22 | Riverfront |
| 1992 | at Cincinnati 20, NE 10 | -10 | Riverfront |
| 1993 | at NE 7, Cincinnati 2 | 5 | Foxboro |
| 1994 | NE 31, at Cincinnati 28 | 3 | Riverfront |
(Points - Cincinnati 357, Patriots 262)
- Patriots punter Lee Johnson played with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1988-98.
- Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy (1993-95) and Bengals running back Corey Dillon (1996) both played at the University of Washington.
- Bengals safety Chris Carter (1997-99) and guard Scott Rehberg (1998) both played with the Patriots.
- Bengals linebacker Marc Megna was raised in Fall River, Mass. and spent time with the Patriots from 1999-2000.
The Patriots and Bengals have played 16 times during the regular season. Below is a listing of the top individual game performances (Patriots players are listed first):
| Rushing Yards | Att. | Yds | Avg | Date-Site |
| Craig James | 25 | 142 | 5.7 | 12/22/85-vs. Cincinnati |
| Jim Nance | 24 | 125 | 5.2 | 11/16/69-at Cincinnati |
| Mack Herron | 13 | 119 | 9.2 | 10/12/75-at Cincinnati |
| **Passing Yards** | **Att.** | **C** | **Yds** | **TD** | **I** | **Date** |
| Drew Bledsoe | 50 | 30 | 365 | 1 | 2 | 9/18/94 |
| **Receiving Yards** | **Yds** | **No.** | **Date-Site** |
| Mike Timpson | 150 | 7 | 12/22/92-at Cincinnati |
| Mike Timpson | 125 | 10 | 9/18/94-at Cincinnati |
| Stanley Morgan | 121 | 4 | 12/22/85-Cincinnati |
| Ben Coates | 108 | 8 | 9/18/94-at Cincinnati |
| Stanley Morgan | 107 | 5 | 12/7/86-Cincinnati |
| Stanley Morgan | 102 | 3 | 10/14/84-Cincinnati |
The New England Patriots defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-28 on Sept. 18, 1994. The win was the first for the Patriots of the 1994 season. Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw for 365 yards and one touchdown, while the Patriots offense generated 447 yards of total offense. It was the fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game for Bledsoe. It also marked the second consecutive game that both Ben Coates and Michael Timpson had over 100 yards receiving. Patriots running back Marion Butts scored two touchdowns and kicker Matt Bahr kicked four field goals. The Patriots defense recorded seven sacks against the Bengals.
This week's Patriots contest against the Bengals will extend their consecutive home sellout streak to 69 games. The streak, which dates back to the 1994 season opener, includes preseason, postseason and regular season games.
This will also be the 145th consecutive Patriots game that has been televised locally, including preseason, regular season and postseason games both home and away. The streak began with the 1993 season finale.
Patriots punter Lee Johnson, who spent 11 season with the Bengals from 1988-98, is currently in his 16th year in the NFL and ranks among the NFL's all-time leading punters. Johnson has increased his career punt total to 1,129 for 47,954 yards. He needs only 12 more punts to reach second place and 25 more to become the NFL's all-time leading punter. He also needs 1,738 punting yards to move into first place on the all-time list.
