The New England Patriots face an uphill battle when making the trek to Ohio for Sunday's clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both teams are on completely different trajectories heading into this matchup. The Bengals are perceived as a potential Super Bowl contender with a returning Joe Burrow under center at quarterback. Meanwhile, the Patriots are a rebuilding team under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
On paper, this game looks like a disaster waiting to happen for a Patriots team that still hasn't figured out their offensive line issues. They're already missing starting guard Cole Strange in the matchup, and both guard Sidy Sow and tackle Vederian Lowe are banged up.