5 things: Patriots and Bengals facing different kinds of questions entering Week 1 matchup
Our ‘5 things’ series for 2024 begins with a look at the Week 1 matchup between the Patriots and Bengals.
Welcome to a new weekly feature on 985TheSportsHub.com for the 2024 NFL season – ‘5 Things.’ Each Friday (or day leading up to a game) during the season, I’ll be sharing five things I’m looking for in the matchup that week.
We start with the Cincinnati Bengals, who the Patriots last played in 2022. That game – played at Gillette Stadium in Week 16 – game down to the wire. The Patriots’ bend-don’t-break defense did its thing, allowing 442 yards but just 22 points. That left the Patriots within striking distance late, but Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled on the goal line in the final minute as the Patriots were driving for the winning touchdown. Final score, Bengals 22 Patriots 18.
As the teams get ready to meet again, the Bengals have plenty of carryover on their roster from that matchup – especially on offense. Emerging young players from that game are now legitimate NFL superstars. Meanwhile the Patriots have hit the reset button since that iteration of their team, both on the roster and with the coaching staff. There’s a stark contract in where these two franchises are at heading into the 2024 season.
WATCH: Patriots-Bengals preview with Mike Petragila
Coming into this game, the expectations for Cincinnati are high. Last year was a down year due to injuries, but the previous two seasons they reached the Super Bowl and AFC Championship, losing both. That success came despite slow starts – the Bengals are 1-9 over the first two weeks of the season in five years under Zac Taylor.
Can the Patriots pile on that trend? Or will the Bengals start off a season with massive expectations on a high note? Let’s look at some of the matchups and other factors that should be crucial in deciding that…
The Patriots’ offensive line
Coming into training camp, the Patriots’ offensive line was the biggest unknown on the roster. With camp and the preseason in the books, there are still just as many if not more questions about the unit heading into Week 1.
David Andrews will center the line, with his presence likely added a much-needed veteran boost based on what we saw in the preseason when he didn’t play. After that though, nothing feels certain.
Vederian Lowe looked like the left tackle for most of the summer but he’s dealing with an abdominal injury and has been limited all week. That likely moves Chuks Okorafor to left tackle, where he struggled in the preseason finale. With Okorafor on the left side, Mike Onwenu projects to move out to right tackle, with rookie Layden Robinson stepping in at right guard. At lefty guard Sidy Sow hasn’t practiced yet this week, and that spot could come down to either backup guard/center Nick Leverett, or guard Michael Jordan if he’s elevated from the practice squad.
That’s what the line will look like initially, but it might not stay that way throughout the game. Teams often mix and match their offensive lines mid-game early in the season, especially if they don’t have entrenched starters. The Patriots shouldn’t be opposed to this, especially if the initial group struggles.
Whatever it looks like up front offensively, it sounds like the Patriots are going to lean heavily on that group against Cincinnati. “I think we have to go out there and really be able to control the line of scrimmage,” head coach Jerod Mayo said early on in his press conference on Wednesday this week. “It’s about the line of scrimmage. It’s about controlling the line of scrimmage and controlling the game
“You can settle games down by running the football, and control the game that way,” Mayo added. “I think that has to be one of the things that we get done.”
As much as the Patriots’ offensive line struggled is pass pro this summer, they were able to consistently open holes in the running game. They should be able to find similar success against a Bengals team that ranked 30th in opponent yards per carry last year.
The real question though is how they hold up against the Bengals’ pass rush – particularly with defensive end Trey Hendrickson coming off of a 17.5 sack season. As Mayo hinted at, the Patriots’ best plan of attack is to run the ball well, stay ahead of the sticks, and out of obvious passing situations. That’s much easier said than done though, and when the Patriots do have to drop back to pass the pass protection will be the thing to watch. Look for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to use play action and bootlegs to help make things easier on the line.
Tight ends as targets
When the Patriots do throw, who will Jacoby Brissett’s favorite targets be? Throughout the summer, he seemed to build good chemistry with the tight ends. Hunter Henry in particular was having a good camp before getting dinged up late.
Brissett should look to that connection early and often on Sunday. The Bengals were one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending tight ends last season, allowing a league-high 107 catches and the third-most yards at 1,080.
In the offseason the Bengals made a couple of moves to better cover tight ends by signing safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone. Bell in particular is a player to watch as he returns to the Bengals after his first stint from 2020 to 2022, but even during that stretch Cincy failed to cover tight ends consistently. It’s definitely something Brissett and the Patriots should look to test in this game.
What to expect from Ja’Marr Chase
Star Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spent the summer ‘holding in’ – attending but not participating in Bengals training camp practices while looking for a new contract from the team. Uncertainty remains around Chase’s status heading into Week 1.
The 2021 first-round pick returned to practice this week, but was limited through the first two days. Even if he does play, it’s tough to see how he handles a full workload in this game. The Bengals may instead pick there spots with him, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he only plays 10-15 snaps on Sunday.
That being said, Chase is the kind of player who can do a lot of damage even in such a limited role. He’s one of the best receivers in the league, in an era where wide receiver talent is as abundant as ever.
Asked this week what makes Chase so special, Patriots cornerback coach Mike Pellegrino quoted a scene from the movie Friday Night Lights, highlighting his versatility. “Ja’Marr Chase is your do-it-all guy,” Pellegrino said, setting up the reference. “There’s not much he can’t do on a football field. He’s a really good talented player. Three-level route runner. Great hands. Explosive, fast. Tempos his routes. He’s one of, if not the top guys in the league.”
How much Chase actually plays this Sunday could be a game-time decision. Whenever he is on the field though, the Patriots will have their hands full.
Coverage matchups
How do the Patriots’ stop Chase, and the rest of the Bengals’ high-power offense? They’re certainly in better shape personnel-wise to do so than the last matchup. The Bengals’ wide receiver room certainly has plenty of size, and due to injuries the Patriots’ top three cornerbacks in that game – Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, and Myles Bryant – were all 5-foot-10 and under.
This time the Patriots’ have more size to match up with the 6-foot Chase, 6-foot-4 Tee Higgins, and 6-foot-3 slot receiver Andrei Iosivas. That should allow them to call some more creative coverages than the off zone they played in 2022.
The Patriots also have a cornerback in this game they didn’t have in that last matchup. 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez makes his return to the field on Sunday, after playing just the first four weeks last year due to injury. Gonzalez had a fantastic start to his rookie season leading to high expectations coming into 2024, but was up and down in camp. This game represents a tremendous opportunity for him to ‘pick up where he left off’ when he got hurt last year.
As for who covers who, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the coaching staff take a Bill Belichick-like approach. That would be putting the 6-foot-1 Gonzalez on the No. 2 receiver in Higgins, while having Jonathan Jones take Chase with help over the top.
The slot coverage is a bit trickier, given the size mismatch Iosivas represents. Marcus Jones has shown he can hang with bigger receivers, so he’d probably get the first crack. If that’s not working the Patriots could move Jonathan Jones inside and put Alex Austin or Marco Wilson at the second boundary spot, or try Wilson in the slot where he has some experience. The Patriots could also elevate Isaiah Bolden – who is a bigger slot corner – from the practice squad for this matchup.
Kickoffs
Early on, there hasn’t been much excitement generated by the NFL’s new kickoff rule. Teams kept things very vanilla during the preseason, and in the regular season opener on Thursday night nine of 11 kickoffs went into the end zone for touchbacks with another return being negated by a penalty.
With these new rules, any teams that think they’ve figured out the best way to handle kickoffs and/or returns will be at a major advantage early on. At the same time, there haven’t been many opportunities to show what any of those strategies might be.
Will that change this week? The Patriots certainly can use any edge they can find, and special teams is a great way to jumpstart an offense. Does first-year special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer have something up his sleeve?
The Bengals could certainly have something planned too. They have an experienced special teams coaching staff led by coordinator Darrin Simmons, who has been in that role since 2003.
Kickoffs will be a great unknown across the NFL in Week 1. It’s possible most of the league follows the lead of the Chiefs and Ravens from Thursday night, but there may be bold teams looking for that edge. In that regard, the kickoffs are something to watch.
