On to Cincinnati: the Patriots have an opportunity for redemption

At his press conference today, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was posed a question about Tom Brady's age. Belichick, in typical Belichick fashion, deflected the question and stated "we're on to Cincinnati."

I abandoned my "By the Numbers" post midway through writing it this morning. The stats were depressing. Anyone who watched the game on Monday Night knows that the numbers would support the pathetic performance the Patriots put forth on the field. The Patriots couldn't stop the Chiefs, and they couldn't score on them either. That was the game in a nutshell.

The last 24-48 hours on Pats Pulpit have appeared to be nothing short of a "self-help" blog for Patriots fans. I think the words of encouragement from Rich, Alec, Marima, SMP and myself were needed. But like Belichick and the Patriots, let's move on to week four.

As it turns out, the Patriots week four opponent is no slouch. In fact, as the only undefeated team left in the AFC, you could argue that the Cincinnati Bengals are the very best the NFL has to offer at the moment.

While they may be the best team in the NFL, they also represent the Patriots the best immediate chance at redemption that the Patriots could ask for. The Patriots will return home, and will play the Bengals at 8:30 PM ET on Sunday Night Football on NBC, in front of another national audience.

It will be a daunting task. The Patriots seemed more frustrated than motivated after the game Monday. They will be coming off a short week, while the Bengals are coming off a bye. However, as embarrassed as the Patriots were just two nights ago, they can prove that they're not ready to crumble just yet.