Bledsoe Carries Patriots : AFC: Quarterback throws for 365 yards to help make up for poor pass defense in 31-28 victory over Bengals.

It was the same story for the New England Patriots: Drew Bledsoe was brilliant, the pass defense pathetic. Only the ending was different Sunday--they won.

Bledsoe set a club passing record and turned the game around with a perfect 34-yard touchdown pass play to Michael Timpson, sending the thrill-a-minute Patriots to a 31-28 victory over the winless Cincinnati Bengals.

For the third consecutive week, the Patriots spent the day making big pass plays on offense to make up for big pass plays against their defense.

“It was wild,” said Coach Bill Parcells, who prefers more of a low-scoring, grind-it-out approach. “It was like the other two have been. We were able to score pretty well and move the ball pretty well. Our defense went to sleep on a few big passes.”

The secondary’s lapses helped Cincinnati (0-3) drive 99 yards to score in the closing minutes. But New England (1-2) recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock, averting a third consecutive letdown.

Said Bledsoe, “That’s a game you have to win in order to start turning the season around--0-3 is not insurmountable, but it feels like it.”

Bledsoe had his club-record fourth consecutive 300-yard game in a wide-open offense that has become decidedly un-Parcells. The second-year quarterback completed 30 of 50 passes for 365 yards, setting his receivers up for another round of big numbers.

Timpson and Ben Coates each surpassed 100 yards receiving for the second week in a row by making big play after big play. Bledsoe had 20 completions of at least 10 yards.

Bledsoe got hit hard only a few times. The Bengals remained the only NFL team without a sack partly because of their ineptitude and partly because Bledsoe didn’t give them much of a chance.

“Those guys are doing such a great job protecting me,” said Bledsoe, who has been sacked just three times in 143 pass plays. “As long as we’re winning, let me throw every play, especially the way the offensive line is protecting me.”

Klingler completed 21 of 29 passes for a career-high 266 yards against the league’s worst pass defense but fumbled twice and missed a wide-open Jeff Query on a deep pass in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve got to be able to hold onto the ball,” Klingler said. “I turned the ball over twice and gave them six points. I missed Jeff Query and we lose the ballgame. That’s my part.”

Bledsoe saved the Patriots with his best pass of the afternoon. Timpson got behind Mike Brim down the right sideline and Bledsoe lofted the ball perfectly over Timpson’s shoulder for the 34-yard touchdown that put New England ahead to stay.

The Patriots clinched it with Marion Butts’ one-yard touchdown run, his second of the day, making it 31-20 in the fourth quarter.

Passing Fancy

New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s passing statistics for the first three games of the NFL season:

Opp. Com Att Yds Int TD Miami 32 51 421 2 4 Buffalo 26 42 380 2 3 Cincinnati 30 50 365 2 1 Total 88 143 1,166 6 8