rather interesting portion of their schedule as they are meeting teams coming off their bye week in three consecutive games. The Patriots already hosted and defeated the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 White Jeremy Hill Jerseys , before going on the road to lose against the Baltimore Ravens — both clubs had two weeks to prepare for the contest. Sunday’s opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, falls under the same category.The Patriots and Eagles are not only both heading into the game off their bye week, they are also the among the best teams in the NFL when it comes to playing with two weeks to prepare for a regular season contest: since 2001, when the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick-era started in New England, the two clubs share identical 14-4 post-bye records (.778) — tied for second best in the league over that time-span behind only the Ravens’ 15-4 (.789).The average NFL team, meanwhile, “only” has a winning percentage of .532 when coming off a bye since 2001 (312-274-3). Needless to say that the Patriots and Eagles are historically capable of outperforming their opposition when having additional time to get healthy and prepare — something the average post-bye scores over the last 18 seasons also reflect: New England outscored its opponents 30.4-15.3, the Eagles theirs 25.8-14.7Of course, it needs to be pointed out that Philadelphia has only played three games coming off a bye under its current head coach — and two of those were lost. The team was defeated 24-23 by the Detroit Lions during the 2016 season, the first with Doug Pederson at the helm Jeremy Hill Jerseys 2019 , and bounced back with a 37-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys the following year. In 2018, finally, the Eagles dropped their post-bye game 27-20 to the Cowboys.For Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, however, past matchups and success rates do not have much of a meaning when it comes to this week’s game. The future Hall of Famer made this clear during a press conference call earlier this week: “Each year is a new year, and each of our performances from year-to-year is contingent on our preparation and our ability to perform in that season that we’re being judged in, not what we did in some other years.” “Personally, I don’t really put a lot of weight or a whole lot of evaluation into what’s happened in the past,” continued Belichick. “If you look back at a team one year and compare it to the next year, there’s — whatever the end analysis is, it is. And White Phillip Dorsett Jerseys , there’s value to that and merit to it, but the reality of it is we’re in a week-to-week business, and this week’s about this game, and the preparation and the performance two teams have on Sunday afternoon.”“I’m not sure that 2015, 16, 17, 18 really have a lot to do with it. I think this year has a lot more relevance to what we’re able to do this week to prepare for the game, what we’re able to execute out on the field Sunday afternoon,” he added. With that being said, one cannot deny that Belichick’s Patriots have generally looked good when coming off their bye. At least historically, the Eagles can also claim the same. CINCINNATI (AP)Coach Marvin Lewis couldn’t find words to describe how his team came apart. His players had no problem picking out the adjectives. ”This was pretty bad Phillip Dorsett Jerseys 2019 ,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. ”It was embarrassing to put that up there and come out like that. It’s not what I expected.” A 33-7 drubbing by the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium ended the Bengals’ franchise-record streak of 22 straight games without giving up 30 points. It also was the longest active streak in the NFL. A defense missing six starters, including both cornerbacks and linebacker Vontaze Burfict, simply fell apart against the league’s last-ranked offense. The young fill-ins and veterans alike made mistakes throughout and appeared to lack the determination to get things fixed. The defense will be limited again Sunday when the Bengals (5-8) face the Vikings (10-3) and former coordinator Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. The Vikings can clinch the NFC North with a win. What will Zimmer’s former defense muster in a game with such little significance for Cincinnati? ”I just told them, the veteran guys in this room, there’ll be a lot said over the next three weeks on how you lead the team,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. ”At the end of the day, it’s my job to get you guys ready to play, but on Sunday the pressure is on you guys. You guys have to do this.” Cornerback Adam ”Pacman” Jones will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is recovering from a concussion, as is Burfict – both were held out of practice again Wednesday. Linebacker Nick Vigil has an ankle injury. Defensive tackle Geno Smith was limited to a dozen plays against the Bears because of a toe injury. A priority this week is getting the energy level up among whoever is on the field. ”There’s no magic drink,” safety George Iloka said. ”On Sunday, every individual has to find it within themselves. There’s nothing anybody can do or say.” How the Bengals play in December will be a reflection on Lewis White Stephon Gilmore Jerseys , who is finishing the final year of his contract. Back-to-back home losses against the Steelers and Bears doomed Cincinnati to a second straight season without a winning record. Told that Zimmer put in a good word for him with reporters on Wednesday, Lewis said: ”I guess I owe him a check, huh? We all realize when you sign up for these jobs, the thing is it’s not forever. I think we all accept that.” SEVEN OUT Burfict and Kirkpatrick were among seven players held out of practice Wednesday. Also missing were Vigil, running back Joe Mixon (concussion), cornerback Darqueze Dennard (knee), linebacker Kevin Minter (hamstring) and tight end Tyler Kroft (hamstring). Five players were limited, including running back Giovani Bernard with a sore knee and left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with a sore shoulder. DRISKEL BACK Third-string quarterback Jeff Driskel returned to practice for the first time since he broke his passing hand in the final preseason game. He has a three-week window to practice before he has to be added to the roster. The Bengals have gone with Dalton and AJ McCarron as their quarterbacks all season. PRACTICE SQUAD ADDITION The Bengals signed safety Robenson Therezie, a third-year player who appeared in 25 games with the Falcons, including two starts. —