AFC-leading Patriots rally from 10-point deficit to beat Bengals 26-20, extend winning streak to 9

CINCINNATI (AP) — Mike Vrabel's New England Patriots became the first NFL team to reach 10 wins after they held on for a 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Patriots' ninth straight victory was more of a battle of attrition, though, as they rallied from an early 10-point deficit Sunday and withstood key injuries.

New England (10-2) won despite the left side of its offensive line being carted off. Left guard Jared Wilson injured an ankle on the game's first series and rookie left tackle Will Campbell had a knee injury in the third quarter.

Even with a makeshift offensive line, Drake Maye passed for 294 yards and a touchdown.

“That’s what happens in this league. You need everybody," Vrabel said after the Patriots improved to 6-0 on the road. "You go through the season and you go on the road and it’s tough. Nobody wants to talk about numbers and records, that doesn’t mean (expletive).”

The Patriots also got contributions from their defense and special teams. Cornerback Marcus Jones returned an interception 33 yards in the second quarter and Andy Borregales kicked four field goals.

Maye completed only three of his first seven passes, including Geno Stone's second career pick-6 that floated in the air before it was intercepted and run back 33 yards to give the Bengals a 10-0 lead 41 seconds into the second quarter. It was New England's first double-digit deficit since the second half of its opener against Las Vegas.

The second-year QB got back on track on the ensuing drive, capped by a 28-yard touchdown to a wide-open Hunter Henry. The 10th-year tight end had a career-high 115 receiving yards on seven receptions.

“That's what the league is about — battling adversity," said Maye, who was 22 of 35. "I gave them one early in the game and just battled back on the next drive. We had a lot of guys come in, make plays and help us out.”

With Buffalo's loss at Houston on Thursday night, the Patriots have a 2 1/2-game lead in the AFC East and are a half-game up on Denver atop the conference. New England will be the last AFC team to go on its bye week in two weeks.

The Bengals (3-8) have dropped eight of nine since quarterback Joe Burrow had a turf toe injury in a Week 2 win against Jacksonville. Burrow practiced this week and is expected to return for the Thanksgiving night game at Baltimore, even though coach Zac Taylor wasn’t ready to declare him the starter.

Joe Flacco completed 19 of 37 passes for 183 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Flacco was without his top two receivers on the last series. Ja’Marr Chase served a one-game suspension for spitting on Pittsburgh’s Jalen Ramsey last week, and Tee Higgins suffered a concussion with 4:50 remaining.

Mitchell Tinsley, who started in place of Chase, caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Flacco with 4:40 remaining to bring the Bengals within 23-20.

Higgins had a team-high five receptions for 31 yards and Andrei Iosivas had 61 yards on four catches. Chase Brown had a season-high 19 carries for 107 yards.

“I think any time you lose not one of the best players on your team, but one of the best players in football, guys have to step up," Flacco said. “We still have a bunch of good players and it's a shame we didn't do what we wanted to today, but I think we're capable of it.”

Borregales' 52-yard field goal gave the Patriots a 26-20 lead with 1:51 remaining.

Flacco drove Cincinnati to the New England 26, but a fourth-down pass with 18 seconds remaining intended for Mike Gesicki was incomplete.

“Just been one of those years where we haven’t found a way at the end of the game, and that’s been frustrating," Taylor said. “It’s important to everyone to keep at this thing and find a way to get some momentum.”

New England joins the 1961 Houston Oilers as the only teams to win nine straight games with at least 23 points scored and 23 or less points allowed in each game.

After Henry's touchdown, New England took the lead on the Bengals' ensuing series when Jones jumped Flacco's pass attempt in the flat intended for Tajh Brooks and easily scored. It was the second pick-6 of Jones' career, with both coming against the Bengals.

“I was just watching the quarterback's eyes. I saw him flash toward the running back, so I didn't want to go down there too soon. Just tried to time it up and I did just in time,” Jones said about his team-leading third interception this season.

Evan McPherson became the first Bengals kicker to make a field goal from at least 60 yards when he was good from 63 on the final play of the opening half.

McPherson, who was kicking from the Bengals' ‘B’ logo at midfield, was straight down the middle on his kick, which had plenty of distance. McPherson also had the previous team record with a 58-yarder in 2021.

The fifth-year kicker made what would have been an NFL-record 67 yarder at Green Bay on Oct. 12, but it was negated because Packers coach Matt LaFleur called time out just before the snap. His second attempt was short.

“I've always thought about how it would be cool to get one from the other side of the field one day,” McPherson said. “The coaches trust me to go out there and make it, and I'm just glad that they have trust in me.”

Patriots: S Bradyn Schooler (ankle) and DL Khyiris Tonga (chest) didn't return after being injured.

Bengals: Brooks (concussion) and CB Marco Wilson (right hamstring) also didn't come back.

Patriots: Host the New York Giants on Dec. 1.

Bengals: At Baltimore on Thursday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Barrett Carter during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) runs from New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III (7) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Cincinnati Bengals place kicker Evan McPherson (2) kicks a 63-yard field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass ahead of Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy (99) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

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Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

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President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)