New England quarterback Drake Maye drew comparisons to a Corridor of Famer this week forward of the Patriots’ street sport towards the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, though not the sporting nice that almost all would possibly count on.
It wasn’t Tom Brady, who — till now — was the one Patriots quarterback to guide his group to an eight-game successful streak.
As a substitute, Maye’s coach in contrast him with a big-league pitcher identified for his pinpoint accuracy. Teaching helped, Mike Vrabel mentioned, however Maye additionally had a pure present for making correct throws.
“I do not know if there is a pitching coach that basically taught Greg Maddux tips on how to paint the plate and put the ball wherever he needed it,” Vrabel mentioned.
New England (9-2) will flip to Maye to cleared the path once more when it opposes Cincinnati (3-7). The Patriots haven’t misplaced since Sept. 21 towards the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they’re 5-0 on the street.
The Bengals would like to spoil the great emotions surrounding Maye and the Patriots.
Cincinnati has endured a depressing previous couple months after quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a toe damage. The Bengals have misplaced three in a row and 7 of their previous eight, together with a 34-12 defeat towards the rival Steelers per week in the past.
A mixture of doubtlessly good and positively unhealthy information descended on the Bengals this week.
On the brilliant facet, Burrow returned to observe, fueling hypothesis that he might make the beginning this weekend. He has not performed since sustaining his damage in Week 2.
Simply do not look to the Bengals teaching employees to substantiate or deny whether or not Burrow will begin.
“There isn’t a motive for me to even speculate on that,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor mentioned because the observe week obtained underway.
Burrow’s return can be welcome information for the Bengals, however the group will likely be with out Ja’Marr Chase this weekend. The star wideout will serve a one-game suspension for spitting on Steelers defensive again Jalen Ramsey final week.
Minus Chase, the Bengals must discover a approach to outscore a potent Patriots assault.
Maye enters Week 12 because the NFL chief with 2,836 passing yards. His passer ranking of 113.2 ranks second within the league.
The Patriots’ operating sport additionally has come alive in latest weeks. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson has scored 5 touchdowns, together with 4 on the bottom and one by the air, up to now two weeks.
The Ohio State product has an opportunity to turn into the third rookie within the Tremendous Bowl period to hurry for a number of touchdowns in three video games in a row. The one two who’ve achieved the feat are Curtis Martin with the 1995 Patriots and Mike Anderson with the 2000 Denver Broncos.
The Bengals had 5 gamers who didn’t observe to start out the week: defensive finish Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis), operating again Samaje Perine (knee), guard Jalen Rivers (knee/ankle), defensive finish Cam Pattern (indirect) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (foot).
The Patriots didn’t have any gamers on the lively roster miss observe on Wednesday. Seven gamers took half in restricted drills, together with operating again Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) and tight finish Austin Hooper (concussion).
–Area Stage Media
