The New England Patriots didn't dominate offensively in their Week 15 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but there were positives that came out of the performance.
New England's defense dominated, the run game looked much better with 175 yards on 32 carries, the team won the turnover battle 5-0 and the kicking game was excellent, too. Even rookie wide receiver N'Keal Harry made a couple of important plays, including an 8-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
Many of these areas of the game factored into the "winning formula" that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick described to his team after Sunday's victory.
Check out Belichick's postgame speech and the locker room celebration from Week 15 in the video below:
This winning formula is pretty close to what helped the Patriots win Super Bowl LIII last season.
After a lackluster December filled with offensive struggles, the Patriots won their final two regular season games -- ironically, against the same two opponents still remaining on their 2019 schedule -- and three playoff matchups by running the football effectively, winning the turnover battle and not making mistakes on special teams. New England won a home Divisional Round game and went on the road for the AFC Championship Game before punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. A similar path could be laid for them next month based on the current AFC playoff picture.
New England Patriots
This type of formula is one the 2019 Patriots should try to emulate heading into another postseason run. First, however, they must beat the Buffalo Bills at home on Saturday to clinch another AFC East title.