The New England Patriots may have engaged in some nefarious activity this weekend, but don't expect the NFL to come down on them with a heavy hand.
According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, the league does not believe that severe sanctions against the Patriots are likely in reference to its investigation of New England videotaping the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline for eight minutes this past Sunday.
The Pats play the Bengals next weekend.
Apparently, the Patriots representative that was filming Cincinnati was seated right on front of a Bengals rep, so they were in plain sight.
New England says that the video was shot by a crew working for the club as part of a preparation for an online feature on one of the team's scouts. The crew was credentialed by the Cleveland Browns, Cincy's opponent during Week 14. However, the Pats did not seek approval from the Bengals beforehand.
The Patriots acknowledged that they violated league policy, but stated that it was unintentional.
Of course, this is not the first time New England has been involved in something of this matter. Back in 2007, the Pats videotaped the signals of New York Jets defensive coaches during an early regular-season game. The Patriots were fined $750,000 and were stripped of a first-round draft pick as punishment.
While New England is 10-3 on the year, it has lost two games in a row and has gone just 2-3 over its last five games thanks much in part to a struggling offense.
Given that the Bengals are just 1-12 and have a horrendous defense, the Pats should have a terrific opportunity to get back on track on Sunday.
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