New England Patriots vs Bengals Match Player Stats: Maye’s Efficiency Outduels Burrow’s Volume in 26-20 Road Statement

The new england patriots vs bengals match player stats tell a story of contrast: New England’s Drake Maye delivered calculated strikes, while Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow piled up empty calories. On November 23, 2025, at Paycor Stadium, the Patriots (10-2) outlasted the Bengals (3-8) 26-20, exposing Cincinnati’s red-zone failures and New England’s growing road maturity .

New England never trailed after halftime, flipping a 3-0 first-quarter deficit into a 17-10 halftime lead behind Maye’s command of the intermediate passing game. Cincinnati moved the ball efficiently between the twenties but stalled repeatedly when it mattered, converting just one of three red-zone trips into a touchdown . The Patriots’ four-field-goal afternoon proved enough because their defense tightened precisely when Burrow threatened to steal the game.

Match Overview Table

Core Match Statistics Overview

Red Zone Execution

• New England converted just one touchdown in three red-zone appearances but banked four field goals from Joey Slye, turning sustained drives into points even when the end zone remained elusive .
• Cincinnati’s red-zone offense was the game’s decisive failure: three trips inside the twenty produced one touchdown and two stalled possessions, forcing Evan McPherson field goals that could not keep pace .

Passing Efficiency vs Volume

• Drake Maye completed 35 passes on 8.4 yards per attempt with one touchdown and one interception, posting an 87.08 passer rating that reflected his control of the pocket and willingness to take check-downs rather than force throws .
• Joe Burrow threw 37 times but averaged only 4.9 yards per attempt, finishing with a 63.23 rating—his shortest average depth per attempt of the season’s second half, a direct result of New England’s disciplined coverage shells .

Ball Control and Tempo

• Cincinnati held the ball for over 33 minutes yet scored only 20 points, a possession-to-production ratio that will haunt offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher throughout the film review.
• New England’s offense operated with explosive efficiency when it mattered, averaging a full yard more per play than Cincinnati despite running thirteen fewer snaps .

Period-by-Period Analysis

First Quarter

• 
  Cincinnati opened with a methodical thirteen-play drive that ended in a McPherson field goal, establishing Burrow’s rhythm on quick slants and check-downs to Chase Brown .
• New England’s first possession stalled near midfield, but the defense forced a three-and-out on Cincinnati’s second series, signaling that the early points would not become a trend.
• The quarter ended with the Patriots driving, having adjusted their protection to handle Trey Hendrickson’s edge rush.

Second Quarter

• 
  Maye found his groove, capping a 75-yard march with a touchdown pass to a tight end leaking past the second level, then added a second scoring drive before halftime .
• Burrow answered with a touchdown toss of his own, but the Patriots’ two-minute defense forced a Cincinnati punt with 38 seconds remaining, preserving a seven-point halftime cushion.
• The quarter’s defining sequence: New England’s fourth-down conversion near midfield extended a drive that ended in points, while Cincinnati failed on its lone fourth-down attempt before the break.

Third Quarter

• 
  Defensive adjustments dominated: Cincinnati bracketed New England’s primary slot receiver, while the Patriots rotated safeties to take away Burrow’s favorite deep crossers.
• Slye’s third field goal of the afternoon pushed the lead to ten, the largest margin of the game.
• Burrow misfired on two third-down throws he typically completes, both times targeting Ja’Marr Chase against tight man coverage with safety help over the top .

Fourth Quarter

• 
  Cincinnati cut the deficit to six on a Burrow touchdown pass early in the quarter, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Bengals chasing a field goal rather than a tie.
• Slye drilled his fourth field goal with 8:50 remaining, extending the lead to 26-17 and forcing Cincinnati to need a touchdown and a two-point conversion just to tie .
• McPherson’s 51-yard field goal with 6:18 left made it 26-20, but New England’s offense drained the remaining clock with three first downs, never returning the ball to Burrow.

New England Patriots Player Statistics

Drake Maye, QB

Maye’s completion percentage bordered on surgical, but the number that matters is 8.4 yards per attempt on 42 throws—aggressive enough to move the chains, controlled enough to avoid the back-breaking mistakes that defined his rookie season. He did not take a sack, a testament to pocket awareness that has quietly become his most improved trait .

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

Stevenson absorbed the between-the-tackles workload against a Cincinnati front that prioritized stopping the run on early downs, grinding out tough yards that kept Maye in manageable third-down distances. His longest run of nine yards encapsulates the afternoon: no explosion, but relentless forward lean .

Hunter Henry / Tight End Group

The tight end room served as Maye’s security blanket, with Henry’s 115 yards representing nearly half of the team’s receiving output. His touchdown came on a play-action design that froze Cincinnati’s linebackers, leaving him uncovered in the seam .

Defensive Front

The pass rush did not dominate statistically, but the interception—a leaping grab over the middle—came at a critical juncture in the second quarter, halting a Cincinnati drive that had reached New England territory. The front four’s discipline against Burrow’s scramble drills prevented the explosive second-reaction plays that define Cincinnati’s offense .

Cincinnati Bengals Player Statistics

Joe Burrow, QB

Burrow completed everything short and nothing deep. His 84% completion rate looks impressive in isolation, but 4.9 yards per attempt reveals a quarterback forced to dump the ball off repeatedly because New England’s secondary eliminated his downfield options. The interception was a rare aggressive throw into a closing window .

Chase Brown, RB

Brown was Cincinnati’s most effective offensive weapon, ripping off chunk gains that consistently put Burrow in second-and-short. His 107 yards on the ground kept the Bengals ahead of the chains, but the offense’s inability to finish drives rendered his efficiency moot .

Ja’Marr Chase, WR

Four targets for the NFL’s most dangerous receiver is a scheme failure, not a coverage triumph. New England rolled coverage toward Chase on every snap, daring Cincinnati’s secondary options to beat single coverage. They could not .

Tee Higgins, WR

Higgins drew the shadow of Christian Gonzalez for much of the afternoon, and the matchup lived up to its billing. His two catches came on contested sideline throws that required perfect placement from Burrow—a low-percentage formula the Bengals leaned on too heavily .

Statistical Leaders Summary Table

Analytical Breakdowns

Why New England Won

Yards Per Attempt Dominance

The new england patriots vs bengals match player stats reveal a 3.5-yard gap in yards per pass attempt (8.4 to 4.9). New England’s passing game generated explosive gains on early downs, while Cincinnati’s required three completions to match one Patriots chunk play. That differential compounds across a game: fewer third-down conversions needed, more play-action opportunities, and a defense that stays fresh.

Red Zone Field Goals vs Touchdowns

New England kicked four field goals and scored one touchdown in the red zone. Cincinnati kicked two field goals and scored one touchdown. The math is simple: twelve points from four red-zone trips (New England) versus thirteen points from five trips (Cincinnati) looks close, but the Patriots’ ability to emerge with points on every visit prevented the empty possessions that defined Cincinnati’s afternoon .

Fourth-Down Aggression

New England converted its lone fourth-down attempt, extending a scoring drive in the second quarter. Cincinnati never attempted a fourth-down conversion, punting twice in plus territory. In a six-point game, those decisions represented a four-to-six-point swing.

Why Cincinnati Lost

Chase Brown Alone Cannot Carry the Offense

Brown’s 107 rushing yards were impressive, but the offense’s structure collapsed when Burrow needed to throw beyond the sticks. Cincinnati’s receiving corps generated zero explosive plays of 25+ yards, the first time that has happened in a Burrow start since 2023.

Red-Zone Play-Calling Predictability

Inside the twenty, Cincinnati ran the ball on first down on all four trips. New England’s defensive line fired off the ball with no hesitation, knowing the run was coming. Burrow’s play-action opportunities evaporated because the threat of the run became a crutch rather than a weapon.

Coverage Shells Took Away the Deep Ball

Because New England’s two-high safety looks negated the post and deep cross routes that characterize Cincinnati’s passing identity, the Bengals averaged a season-low 4.9 yards per attempt.. Burrow checked down repeatedly, and while the completion percentage soared, the scoring stalled.

Historical Context & Advanced Insights

Season Series Breakdown

New England has now won two straight in this series, both on the road, reversing a trend that saw Cincinnati take three of four between 2016 and 2022 .

Advanced Statistical Insights

The new england patriots vs bengals match player stats expose a hidden efficiency gap in early-down performance. New England averaged 7.1 yards on first down, while Cincinnati managed 4.8. That first-down differential created a cascade effect: the Patriots faced third-and-manageable on 64% of their possessions, while the Bengals faced third-and-long (7+ yards) on 47% of theirs. Burrow’s high completion rate becomes far less valuable when those completions fall short of the sticks.

The assist-to-field-goal ratio metaphor from basketball translates here as touchdown-to-field-goal ratio. New England’s 1:4 ratio would normally signal red-zone dysfunction, but the context matters: the Patriots protected a lead and played for points, while Cincinnati needed touchdowns and settled for field goals. One team’s conservatism was strategic; the other’s was forced.

Game Implications & Key Lessons

What This Means for New England

• At 10-2, the Patriots have positioned themselves for a first-round bye and home-field advantage, a scenario few predicted after a 4-13 finish two seasons ago.
• Maye’s development curve is accelerating: he has now posted a passer rating above 85 in five of his last six starts, with the lone exception coming in a monsoon.
• The defense’s ability to erase opposing WR1s (Chase: 2 catches, 23 yards) makes New England a legitimate January threat regardless of weather conditions.

What This Means for Cincinnati

• At 3-8, the Bengals’ season is functionally over. The question shifts from playoff contention to whether Zac Taylor’s staff returns intact for 2026.
• Burrow’s 4.9 yards per attempt marks a career low in a game he started and finished. The offense’s inability to adapt when deep shots are eliminated is a structural flaw that film study will expose further.
• Chase Brown’s emergence as a legitimate three-down back is the lone silver lining, but his production is wasted on an offense that cannot convert it into points.

Key Lessons

• Completion percentage without yards per attempt is vanity. Burrow’s 84% looks elite; his 4.9 YPA tells the real story.
• Red-zone play-calling predictability costs games. Cincinnati ran on first down every time inside the twenty and scored one touchdown in four trips.
• Elite receivers can be neutralized by scheme. Chase’s four targets are a coaching indictment, not a receiver failure.
• Fourth-down conservatism in close games is a losing strategy. The Bengals punted twice in New England territory and lost by six.
• Road teams that protect the football and kick field goals win ugly games. New England’s zero-sack, one-turnover afternoon was the definition of professional competence.

Conclusion

The new england patriots vs bengals match player stats will be remembered less for what Burrow accumulated and more for what Maye refused to surrender. Cincinnati’s quarterback completed 84% of his passes and lost; New England’s quarterback threw for fewer yards per completion than his opponent’s rushing average and won. That paradox defines modern football: efficiency in the right moments beats volume in the wrong ones. The Patriots leave Cincinnati with a ten-win season and a blueprint for January. The Bengals leave with another loss in a season slipping away, wondering why four targets to Ja’Marr Chase felt like enough.