Bengals’ Andy Dalton getting sacked at alarming rate

Andy Dalton threw for one touchdown and ran for another, finishing 21 of 31 for 254 yards. It might be closer than Vegas expects, but the Patriots will come out on top.

Before the season started, rival head coaches shuddered at the thought of facing Brady with all of his new weapons, particularly the tight ends. The Bengals fell to 2-3 for the first time in six years, and the sacks are one of the most glaring issues. They were at 40.3 percent last season. The Red Zone defense has not been good at all.

This might be the impossible task.

New England: Patriots travel to Steelers on Sunday.

Everyone, that is, except Tom Brady. It should, gradually, but the real question is whether it will in time to salvage the season. Defensively, the Bengals are yielding 22.0 points and 338.6 yards (224.6 in passing and 114.0 in rushing) per game against the opposing teams.

I often quibble with PFF’s offensive line grading-how can you truly grade something when you have no idea what the assignments are?-but in this case they might have been overly generous. They showed no evidence of broken ribs, but Kessler will undergo an MRI today as a precaution. Brady’s alleged involvement in deflating the footballs used in the game is the reason for his suspension that ended just two weeks ago. However, they’ll have a tough test coming to Gillette Stadium in NFL Week 6. On the defense, Cincinnati is allowing 22.0 points and 338.t6 yards per game against the opponents. The visitors were able to slow Tom Brady and the unit down by dropping seven players into coverage and creating pressure with only four. It’s possible that, even if the team loses, the Bengals come out feeling OK about themselves (think of last year’s loss at Arizona) if they play well enough to stay close and see improvement in all three phases of the game. This former Patriots standout missed most of the preseason with a hand injury, but appears to be comfortable in his new offense.

Gronkowski got called for taunting after a 12-yard catch that would have put New England on the Bengals’ 8 with about eight minutes left. The NFL Odds for the game have the Patriots favored by a comfortable margin to pick up the victory at home.

You can watch the New England Patriots vs Cincinnati Bengals live stream on the NFL’s mobile app or DirecTV’s National Football League app.

Marvin Lewis (114-104-2), including 0-7 postseason) enters his 14th season with the Bengals. Tom Brady’s return last week coincided with a return to form for the Pro Bowler, who caught five balls for a season-high 109 yards.

PREDICTION: Brady’s home opener in wake of Deflategate debacle is probably not good for any visiting team.