Patriots
Jerod Mayo will look to secure his first win as Patriots head coach on Sunday.
Jerod Mayo and a rebuilding Patriots roster will open a new season on Sunday afternoon with a Week 1 matchup on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kick-off from Paycor Stadium is set for 1 p.m. You can watch the game on CBS, and listen to it on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
It’s going to be a season of change in Foxborough, with a new head coach on the sideline for the Patriots for the first time since 2000.
Mayo has a tall task ahead of him in terms of getting New England back atop the AFC, with the growth and development of younger players like Drake Maye, Ja’Lynn Polk, Christian Gonzalez and others standing as the priority this fall.
While most of the hopes of a successful rebuild in New England rest on the shoulders of Maye, it will be veteran QB Jacoby Brissett who will get the starting nod against the Bengals — with the 31-year-old signal-caller looking to keep the Patriots’ offense afloat amid concerns over their banged-up offensive line.
With a new football season underway, here’s eight pressing questions facing the 2024 Patriots, while Chad Finn has his first Unconventional Preview of the year.
Follow along here for live updates from Sunday’s game, and check back once the game wraps for some early observations.
LIVE UPDATES
12:38: Julian Edelman sends his support to QB1 Jacoby Brissett.
12:19: A look at the Patriots’ O-line. Michael Jordan slots in for Sow, while Onwenu slots over to RT.
12:18: With Maye on the sideline, Ja’Lynn Polk is the top rookie I’m keeping tabs on tonight.
12:06: Patriots warmups are underway:
11:59: Per Ian Rapoport on Drake Maye’s expected debut: “(The Patriots are) gonna make sure that the offensive line is good enough to put him out there, the skill position group, it’s all set for Maye to come in right away and have success. Probably going to be several weeks at least.”
11:55: Patriots inactives. Sow, as expected, will not play — along with rookie WR Javon Baker. Jabrill Peppers (hip) was a late addition to the injury list, but he will play.
The Patriots are likely going to depend heavily on Vederian Lowe, Chukwuma Okorafor and Caeden Wallace at tackle.
11:55: No Tee Higgins for Cincy.
11:51: Jerod Mayo and his staff take the field.
11:31: Bad news for the Patriots. Even though Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals have reportedly not agreed to a contract extension, it does seem like the star WR will play today. After limited participation in camp, one has to wonder how involved he will be in the gameplan today.
11:00: Happy football season, everyone!
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