CINCINNATI — On paper, everything seemed to align for the Cincinnati Bengals to start the season with a victory. Ja’Marr Chase was playing. Joe Burrow was coming off a full training camp. And Cincinnati was a heavy favorite over a franchise in the midst of a transition.
But none of that mattered.
Cincinnati lost to the New England Patriots 16-10 in one of the more improbable season-opening upsets in recent years. The Bengals closed as 7.5-point favorites over a New England team that only won four games last season and was making its debut under new coach Jerod Mayo.
It turned out to be the biggest Week 1 upset since 2018, according to ESPN Research, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints as a 10-point underdog.
“It’s just frustrating that we didn’t play well enough to win,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “That’s the biggest frustration. Looking at the turnovers, looking at the missed tackles, it is as simple as that.”
Cincinnati fell to 1-5 in season openers since Taylor took over in 2019. The coach repeatedly pointed to the team’s two turnovers and its poor tackling as reasons for the loss.
In the second quarter, Cincinnati fumbled away a potential game-tying touchdown when tight end Tanner Hudson was stripped 2 yards before he crossed the goal line. After halftime, wide receiver Charlie Jones fumbled a punt return. The Patriots recovered both balls.
Cincinnati also surrendered 170 rushing yards to the Patriots, led by Rhamondre Stevenson’s 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt cited poor execution as one of the team’s key defensive issues. He also noted how the lack of tackling throughout training camp can make that more challenging once the games begin.
“Obviously, tackling is huge,” Pratt said. “Being able to tackle guys over and over again gets you in football shape.”
The big storyline entering the game was whether Chase, Cincinnati’s star wide receiver, was going to take the field after the two sides failed to reach a contract extension before the season started.
Not only did Chase play despite not getting a new contract, but he did so despite battling food poisoning he suffered Saturday. He finished with six catches on six targets for 62 yards and said he was going to take intravenous fluids after the game.
Chase added that he felt he was ready enough to play but lamented the ability to make a bigger impact against New England.
“Just wish we had more opportunities to make plays,” said Chase, who declined all contract-related questions and deferred queries about the lack of downfield looks to Taylor.
The Bengals were without Chase’s opposite number, Tee Higgins, who was inactive for the game after picking up a hamstring injury in practice Thursday.
Burrow was 21-of-29 passing for 164 yards, making his first start since suffering a season-ending wrist injury last year. However, only six of his attempts were for 10 or more air yards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“They were taking it away,” Burrow said of the deep ball. “They did a good job. They had a good plan. I was just taking what the defense gave me.”
When asked about his comfort level in his first game back, he said it’s something that will increase as the season continues.
“I was comfortable, but I’ll be more comfortable as we go,” Burrow said.
But in the locker room afterward, there was little solace to be found. Many players were left struggling for answers for not only the shocking defeat, but also yet another sputtering start.
Cincinnati’s three-year losing streak in Week 1 is the longest in the league, according to ESPN Research. In fact, dating back to 2019, the Bengals are the only team in the league to have fewer than two total wins in the first two weeks of the season.
Kansas City, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and Cincinnati’s next opponent, is 9-2 during that same span.
When it came to preventing the feeling after Sunday’s loss from lingering into next week’s road showdown, Chase chalked that up to being professionals.
“We have to forget about it and move on to the next week,” he said.
