FOXBOROUGH White Marcus Cannon Jerseys , Mass. (AP) — The Patriots are the defending Super Bowl champions.That’s the good news in New England.The bad news is they lost one key player to retirement and have others that are winding down their careers as well.Rob Gronkowski’s decision to hang up his cleats last month didn’t come as a total surprise after he hinted at it following each of the past two seasons. But it did create yet another need to address as New England prepares for the NFL draft.With holes on both sides of the ball, unlike in recent years it could mean a busier than usual three days for Bill Belichick and his staff. They have 12 picks overall, including four in the first seven rounds.Belichick is being predictably coy about his plans for them.“We have a lot of draft picks as we sit here today. I don’t know that that necessarily means that they will or won’t be there on draft weekend,” he said. “We’ll see how all of that goes. Just evaluate situations as they come up and try to make the best decisions, we can for the football team.“There’s no set goal in mind as to how many picks to have or what to do with them. We just want to try to make good decisions at every opportunity we can to improve our team in whatever way is possible and that includes everything.”The offense has some big holes at both receiver and at left tackle.Receiver Julian Edelman is Tom Brady’s most trusted and experienced pass catcher. But the reigning Super Bowl MVP will be 33 when the regular season starts.Chris Hogan signed with the Panthers in free agency, leaving Brady with Phillip Dorsett as his No. 2 receiver on the depth chart behind Edelman.Dorsett was much more comfortable in his second full season with New England, catching 32 passes and three touchdowns. But with Josh Gordon still suspended, the Patriots need some other options. The signing of veteran Demaryius Thomas was certainly a start, though an addition of youth couldn’t hurt.The same is true defensively.New England took the first step in filling the void left by edge rusher Trey Flowers‘ departure to Detroit by trading for veteran Michael Bennett. The Patriots also need to replace the production of defensive tackle Malcom Brown as well as add some general depth on the defensive line.Some other things to know about the Patriots heading into the draft:REPLACING GRONKThe Patriots did sign veteran tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to join a group to replace Gronk that also includes youngsters Jacob Hollister and Matt LaCosse. Though considering how integral the tight end is to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ schemes Marcus Cannon Jerseys 2019 , it’s very likely they will use a high pick to snare one of the top prospects.Some possible names to watch include T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, both former standouts at Iowa known for their blocking and pass-catching abilities.PROTECTING BRADYFor the second consecutive offseason New England is in the market for a left tackle. Trent Brown left in free agency for a big payday with the Raiders. And the Patriots can’t afford not to have a capable replacement guarding the blindside of Tom Brady, who will be 42 when the 2019 season kicks off.One option is Isaiah Wynn, the Patriots’ first-round pick last year who spent 2018 on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles tendon during the preseason.The O-line could also use some depth overall. LaAdrian Waddle was able to fill a lot of those gaps over the past few seasons, but he signed with Buffalo.BRADY’S SUCCESSORWhile he’s not backing down from his desire to play until age 45, the Patriots could use this draft to again to try to identify Brady’s successor.Patriots scouts are very high on former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. Other possible names to watch for include Will Grier (West Virginia) and Brett Rypien (Boise State). CINCINNATI (AP) — Sam Hubbard had missed on his attempt to get Ryan Tannehill.Next thing he knew, the ball was flying right toward him and there was nobody between him and the end zone.The rookie had an improbably easy time completing Cincinnati’s big comeback.Michael Johnson returned an interception for the tying score, and Hubbard went 19 yards with a fumble for the clinching touchdown Sunday, rallying the Bengals from a 17-point deficit to a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.Not even those involved could explain it.“I really don’t know what happened White Brandon Bolden Jerseys ,” Hubbard said. “I just saw the ball and it stuck. Thank God I was able to hold onto it and waddle into the end zone.”With Joe Mixon back from knee surgery and the defense making more game-turning plays in the fourth quarter, Cincinnati (4-1) extended its best start since its 2015 playoff season. This one came a week after A.J. Green caught a winning touchdown pass in Atlanta with 7 seconds left.“These NFL games are crazy, man,” Green said. “It’s an up-and-down roller coaster ride. You ride it and hope you come out on top.”The Dolphins (3-2) had plenty of blame to go around for their meltdown, helping the Bengals score those 27 consecutive points with a variety of mistakes — the biggest ones by their quarterback.Andy Dalton threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mixon to start the comeback, completing a drive that was extended by T.J. McDonald’s personal foul on a third-down incompletion. Mixon returned after missing two games following knee surgery and ran for 93 yards in addition to catching three passes.From there, the Dolphins fell apart.“When I got the touchdown, the momentum shifted,” Mixon said. “After that Brandon Bolden Jerseys 2019 , you started seeing sack after sack, pick after pick, touchdown after touchdown. It was crazy, man.”The Bengals’ young defense sealed wins over Indianapolis and Baltimore with late turnovers. Two freaky bounces changed this one in the fourth quarter.Under pressure, Tannehill decided to throw the ball at the feet of tight end Durham Smythe rather than take a sack. Tannehill was hit as he released the ball, which caromed off Smythe’s helmet and went directly to Johnson, who ran 22 yards untouched for the tying score .After Randy Bullock’s 20-yard field goal gave the Bengals their first lead at 20-17, Tannehill was hit again by Carlos Dunlap and the ball flew to Hubbard, who ran untouched 19 yards to the end zone with 2:37 left to clinch it.“I didn’t know what happened White Ryan Allen Jerseys ,” said Tannehill, who was 20 of 35 for 185 yards with three turnovers. “I heard the crowd cheer and everyone run away from me, so I knew something bad happened.”The Dolphins started the season 3-0, but have gotten flattened by New England and shocked by the Bengals in the past two weeks.Miami made the big plays early, but couldn’t close it out with a 17-0 lead. Kiko Alonso picked off Dalton’s tipped pass near the end zone to stop Cincinnati’s opening drive, Vincent Taylor blocked a Bengals field goal attempt, and Jakeem Grant returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first half.Tannehill put together a 95-yard drive for the other touchdown, culminating with his 22-yard pass to running back Kenyan Drake. Tannehill was 20 of 35 for 185 yards.AT THE TOPGreen had six catches for 112 yards, moving ahead of Chad Johnson for the club record with his 32nd career 100-yard game.LONG TIMEThe Bengals hadn’t been shut out in an opening half and rallied to win since 2004 Ryan Allen Jerseys 2019 , when they trailed Miami 3-0 at halftime and pulled it out 16-13. It was only the fourth time in franchise history that they scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and won — they also did it in 1972, 1978 and 2004.HISTORIC RETURNGrant’s 70-yard punt return made him the first Dolphin to score on a reception, a kickoff return and a punt return in the same season. He had a 102-yard kickoff return against Tennessee in the season opener. Grant joins Dante Hall (2003) as the only NFL players with a 100-yard kickoff return, a 70-yard punt return and a 50-yard TD catch in the same season. The last NFL player with a touchdown of all three varieties was the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill in 2016.STREAK ENDSDalton’s pass for Green was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Kiko Alonso, ending the Bengals’ opening drive and their streak of scoring on their past 34 trips inside the 20-yard line. It was the longest active streak in the NFL.BURFICT BACKBengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict returned from his latest NFL suspension and had seven tackles, second on the team.INJURIESDolphins: LT Laremy Tunsil left with a concussion during the Bengals’ fourth-quarter comeback, further depleting the Dolphins’ offensive line.Bengals: LB Preston Brown walked off the field in the second quarter after getting his right ankle checked but returned.UP NEXTDolphins host the Bears next Sunday.Bengals host the Steelers next Sunday.