The New England Patriots hit the road this weekend to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon for a Week 1 battle.
It will be New England’s first game under head coach Jerod Mayo after the team moved on from Bill Belichick this offseason after 24 seasons.
The Patriots aren’t expected to be among the league’s best in 2024 after finishing 4-13 last year while the Bengals, who finished 9-8 in 2023 without Joe Burrow for much of the season, should be in contention for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
Before the two teams take the field at Paycor Stadium, here are a few things to know before the game:
Rankings
Points scored per game (2023)
- New England: 13.9 (tied for 31st)
- Cincinnati: 21.5 (16th)
Points Allowed Per Game (2023)
- New England: 21.5 (14th)
- Cincinnati: 20.6 (tied for 20th)
Yards gained per game (2023)
- New England: 276.2 (30th)
- Cincinnati: 318.9 (23rd)
Yards Allowed Per Game (2023)
- New England: 301.6 (6th)
- Cincinnati: 374.6 (31st)
History
The Patriots and Bengals have met 27 times in history, with New England holding a 17-10 record. The series is tied 7-7 in Cincinnati.
The last time they met was in 2022, when the Bengals beat the Patriots 22-18 at Gillette Stadium. Cornerback Marcus Jones had a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Mac Jones had touchdown passes to Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne in the fourth quarter, but the comeback effort fell short.
Injury Concerns
New England’s offensive line is already depleted with starting left guard Cole Strange on injured reserve/PUP, backup left guard Sidy Sow missing practice with an ankle injury and starting left tackle Vederian Lowe limited by an oblique.
Running back Antonio Gibson (hip) and linebacker Joshua Uche (foot) were also limited.
For Cincinnati, the trio of receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (thumb) and offensive tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) were limited.
Relationships
- Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was the Bengals’ quarterbacks coach from 2018-19.
- Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell was the Bengals’ wide receivers coach from 2018-20.
- Patriots offensive lineman Michael Jordan played for the Bengals from 2019 to 2020.
- Patriots tight end Mitchell Wilcox played for the Bengals from 2020-23.
- Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby played for the Patriots from 1990-92.
- Bengals center Ted Karras played for the Patriots from 2016 to 2019.
- Bengals offensive tackle Trent Brown played for the Patriots in 2018 and 2021-23.
- Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki played for the Patriots in 2023.
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