The Patriots face a tall task with their regular-season opener, but history could be on their side this Sunday.
New England is projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, and they'll face a Bengals side that is projected to be a Super Bowl contender. The Patriots' inept offensive line also will face a fearsome Cincinnati pass rush.
However, the Bengals might not be firing on all cylinders starting Week 1. According to ESPN, since 2020, the Bengals are 1-7 in the first two weeks of the season, tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the worst record in the NFL. In Zac Taylor's tenure, Cincinnati lost four of its last five season openers.
This probably shouldn't be that surprising. Teams are only afforded three preseason games, and that time often is used to determine who fills out the rest of your roster. It's why there tends to be a lot of wacky stuff happening in the NFL in the first month of the season. Teams are using September as an extension of the preseason, and the good teams tend to rise up in the winter months, which is why the Bengals tend to get more national attention during that time.
Cincinnati could be in for a repeat with Joe Burrow still trying to get into the groove of things and Ja'Marr Chase not practicing throughout the summer due to his contract dispute.
The Patriots still need to show up on their end, but the matchup could be a lot closer than the 8.5-point spread on FanDuel indicates.
