Generally speaking, a game between the 10-3 Patriots and the 1-12 Bengals wouldn’t have a lot of drama to it. The Pats are trying to get out from under a two-game losing streak and a broken offense, while the Bengals are playing to preserve the first overall draft pick.
But when you’re talking about the Patriots, things can always get interesting. Per ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor was asked on Monday whether he could confirm that the Patriots had staff videotaping their play calls during the Bengals’ 27-19 Week 14 loss to the Browns.
“No comment, and they are aware,” Taylor responded. The “they” in question is presumably the NFL, and Russini followed up with a note that the league is indeed investigating the matter. A Bengals spokesperson told Russini that the team is aware of the situation, the league is also aware, and there is no further comment.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network offered an explnation.
If there’s something to this outside of what’s been approved, you can expect the league to crack down on the Patriots — hard. Because there are obvious precedents. The “Spygate” scandal, in which the Patriots were busted for videotaping the Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals during a 2007 game, is the most recent iteration of the team’s violations of the NFL’s rules regarding these things. Belichick was fined $500,000, the Patriots were fined $250,000, and the team was stripped of its first-round pick in the 2008 draft.
