Bengals vs. Patriots: Score and Twitter Reaction from Sunday Night Football

Shane Vereen on 3rd-and-16.

It rhymes, and it also spelled the Cincinnati Bengals' demise on Sunday Night Football in Week 5.

Vereen gained 19 rushing yards on the long-shot, third-quarter conversion to keep a critical drive alive for the New England Patriots. It led to the sequence that blew Sunday's game wide open in New England's 43-17 victory at Gillette Stadium.

SportsNation's Twitter account channeled Mark Twain to describe the scene in Foxborough:

ESPN's Mark Schlereth commented on the standout play from the Patriots' balanced, explosive offense, featuring a dynamic tight end duo in Rob Gronkowski and Tim Wright:

In the third quarter, two plays after Vereen's aforementioned conversion, legendary quarterback Tom Brady rifled a pass to an uncovered Gronkowski for a 16-yard touchdown, showing that two of the franchise's cornerstones were back on track. It turned out to be quite a milestone, too, per the team's official Twitter account:

Speaking of which, check out the mark Brady hit during the course of Sunday's contest:

On the kickoff following the Brady-to-Gronkowski connection, Cincinnati returner Brandon Tate fumbled, and Kyle Arrington scooped and scored.

Bomani Jones of ESPN criticized Tate's penchant for returning all kicks no matter how deep in the end zone they might be:

That halted the Bengals' brief momentum, which had been generated the possession before the two-TD flurry.

Quarterback Andy Dalton, struggling to find blanketed top target A.J. Green all evening thanks to Pats cornerback Darrelle Revis, lofted a beautiful pass to Mohamed Sanu for a 37-yard score. That cut New England's prohibitive lead to 20-10 with 11:27 remaining in the third—not insurmountable.

From the start, though, it appeared as though Brady and Co. weren't going to let a blowout loss in Kansas City the previous week impact their preparation for this vital game.

Former NFL general manager Joe Banner made an astute observation:

Ross Jones of Fox Sports was sure to point out that the Bengals were missing their defensive leader in Vontaze Burfict, which had a considerable impact on the result:

But the infamous phrase uttered ad nauseam by Pats head coach Bill Belichick in a prior press conference seemed to ring true following Sunday's triumph, via the NFL on ESPN:

NFL Network's Albert Breer couldn't help but notice the parallels and drastic changes in fortune for Sunday's two participating teams:

Even with the Bengals coming off a bye and standing as the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL, the home team was clearly superior all evening.

Maybe we all should have seen this coming, in light of these anecdotes from ESPN Stats & Info and the Pats' Twitter account:

Brady, who finished 23-of-35 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns, was better protected than at any previous time this year. His confidence and poise in the pocket reflected that on a cool 10-play, 80-yard drive for a TD to start the game. It was capped off by Stevan Ridley's one-yard plunge.

Michael Dyer of Fox 25 alluded to Brady's impeccable post-loss record over the past decade-plus:

Complementing Brady's brilliance, Vereen and Ridley combined for 203 yards on 36 carries.

The Patriots once again look the part of a Super Bowl contender.

As strange as it may sound, they will travel to Buffalo to battle the Bills in Week 6 for sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Based on the roll New England is on, Buffalo will have its hands full in a QB duel that features Brady and Kyle Orton.

This is a demoralizing defeat for Cincinnati, which appeared to be turning the proverbial corner. What seemed to be an AFC North title that was the Bengals' to lose now looks like a rather even race.

A trip home to play the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers will require coach Marvin Lewis to get his club refocused quickly.