DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — You could smell the letdown for miles.

And you could see the missed tackles, penalty flags, breakdowns and mistakes all over the field.

The Bengals came away from Paul Brown Stadium with tread marks on their stomachs and backs after absorbing a humiliating 38-13 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots in front of 66,035 spectators on Sunday.

Rookie Laurence Maroney (125) and 10-year veteran Corey Dillon (67) combined for 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots (3-1) rebounded from a 17-7 loss to Denver by humbling the Bengals (3-1) a week after Cincinnati's emotional win at Pittsburgh.

"We've been flying along pretty good and today we got hit in the face," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, whose squad had more penalty yards (74) than rushing yards (71). "We didn't play good enough in any area to win. If you don't do the fundamentals — be it tackling, be it blocking — you're not going to beat a good team."

The Bengals squandered a 6-0 lead, pulled within 14-13 on Rudi Johnson's 2-yard run at 7:03 of the third quarter, then got outscored 24-zip the final 19 minutes, 27 seconds.

"We got our heads beat in," said quarterback Carson Palmer, whose two fumbles led to easy Patriot touchdowns in the fourth quarter. "I don't know if it was because we came into the game cocky, too confident or what. We got flat-out outplayed. Hopefully, a month from now, we'll look back and say it was the best thing that could've happened to us."

Star of the Game

Maroney rushed 15 times for 125 yards (8.3), including a long run of 41, and TDs covering 11 and 25 yards.

Goat of the Game

Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. Deactivated for disciplinary reasons, Henry's absence cost the club an offensive weapon it needed to combat New England's stingy defense.

Turning Point

Nursing a 14-13 lead, the Patriots converted a third-and-nine with a 19-yard Tom Brady-to-Doug Gabriel pass to the Bengals' 40. Two plays later, Maroney broke three tackles on a 25-yard TD run, triggering 24 unanswered points.

Quote of the Day

"Everyone needs to look in the mirror. Maybe we're not as good as we think we are. Something's got to change. Now what are we going to do to change it? To get our tails whupped like that, it's pathetic." — Rudi Johnson, Bengals tailback.