The New England Patriots are on the road Week 1 to face the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals. This will be Jerod Mayo’s first game as a head coach; but more importantly, it’ll be the Patriots first game without Bill Belichick since the year 2000.
The Patriots are listed as +9 point underdogs going into Week 1. However, there’s a chance that they could put up a good fight against the Bengals. Although this will be Jacoby Brissett’s first game back in New England since 2016, it won’t be his first time working with Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Brissett played under Van Pelt during the 2022 season in Cleveland where he threw for 2,608 yards, 12 touchdowns with six interceptions.
With the help of Van Pelt, the Patriots have the potential to have an entirely revamped look. Van Pelt helped the Browns offense rank 10th in points per game during the 2023 season.
New Look Offense
With Van Pelt as the new play caller, fans can expect to see more of a run-first style offense for the Patriots. New England will rely heavily on running back Rhamondre Stevenson to take the majority of the load this week as the team is still trying to find their identity.
Meanwhile, the new addition of running back Antonio Gibson this will open up the passing game, as he has been one of the more reliable receiving backs in todays league. Gibson will help the team in the screen game and also help open up the RPO (run pass option).
Areas Of Attack
Although the Bengals are a very well built team, they do have areas of weakness the Patriots will have opportunities to expose. If the Patriots offense can’t establish a good run game, they may have luck attacking the Bengals defense through the air. The Bengals passing defense ranked 28th during the 2023 season allowing an average of 248.4 passing yards per game. And at this moment, there’s little to believe they’re able to improve significantly this season.
Unlike the Bengals, the Patriots defense has been the teams strong suit. Their defense managed to finish the 2023 season ranked seventh in the league last year despite their struggle. While the Bengals may be without some of their pass-catchers, Burrow and the offense will still have plenty of firepower to make the game interesting.
Players to Watch
Here are three players on New England fans should keep an eye on during the Patriots’ Week 1 matchup:
Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson is due for heavy usage this season. In the offseason, the Patriots signed Stevenson to a four-year, $36 million extension. The Patriots expect the get their starting running back to produce; and with their new run first schemes that should not be a problem.
Hunter Henry
With the Patriots still trying to find their identity in the pass game, tight end Hunter Henry will likely be a consistent in the New England passing attack. Although 2023 wasn’t Henry’s best receiving year, he was still able to bring in six touchdowns. Look for him to be featured in this matchup.
Christian Gonzalez
The Patriots will have Christian Gonzalez back after missing 12 games last season due to injury. In his first four games, however, Gonzalez recorded 17 total tackles, an interception and a sack. It will be interesting to see the how the second-year corner matches up against the Bengals’ receivers in this game.
New England Patriots’ Keys To Victory
Although the Patriots are +9 point underdogs, here’s how they can walk out of Week 1 with a victory:
- New England will have to establish their run game early. The Patriots don’t have the greatest group of pass catchers, but they do have Stevenson in the backfield. If Stevenson can get going early, he can make Brissett’s job a whole lot easier.
- DO NOT GIVE UP THIRD AND LONG. The Patriots defense played very well last season, but one thing they struggled with was getting off of the field on third and long. If the Patriots want a shot at winning this game they will have to get Burrow and the Bengals offense off of the field. On top of that, they must make sure they don’t give the Bengals multiple chances to get into the red zone.
