Cincinnati (0-1) had the ball with just over three minutes left and couldn’t get a first down even with three-time Pro Bowler Ja’Marr Chase on the field. The Bengals are 1-5 in Week 1 games under coach Zac Taylor since his arrival in 2019, the lone win being an overtime game against Minnesota in 2021.
Zac Taylor speaks to the media following week 1 vs New England https://t.co/CoCKr5OaSc
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 8, 2024
After new Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki lost control off a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone in the second quarter, Tanner Hudson’s fumble at the 1-yard line killed the only successful possession of the first half. The defense limited the Patriots to a field goal on the ensuing drive, as Joey Slye made a 32-yard field goal as time expired, but New England carried a 10-0 lead into halftime.
Cincinnati was shut out in the first half for a second straight opener and hasn’t scored a touchdown in a Week 1 game since that 2021 victory against the Vikings.
Burrow had his best weapon on the field with Chase making the decision to play without a contract extension, but Tee Higgins was inactive due to a hamstring injury that surfaced Thursday.
Having Chase didn’t seem to make an impact until the second half when most of his 62 yards receiving came. Burrow was sacked twice and attempted just two passes longer than seven yards in the first half, including one completion on a 12-yard pass to Andrei Iosivas for the first first-down of the game with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the defense struggled. New England, coming off a four-win 2023 season, punished Cincinnati on the ground with a running game that neared 100 yards before halftime. Rhamondre Stevenson capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to get the Patriots on the board their second possession.
New England finished with 171 yards rushing on 37 carries, while Jacoby Brissett only needed 121 yards passing to lead his team to victory.
The Bengals turned things around defensively after halftime, forcing a three-and-out the first drive, but Charlie Jones fumbled the ensuing punt return to put the Patriots on the Cincinnati 24-yard line. Cincinnati got the stop on third down to limit the damage to a 35-yard field goal, making it a 13-0 game, and the Bengals ended up turning the ball over on downs the following drive.
Cincinnati lost just two fumbles in all of 2023. Two in one day proved costly.
Burrow finally started looking down field more as the end of the third quarter approached, and the Bengals benefited from a defensive pass interference call on a 20-yard attempt to Iosivas. Passes of 10 and 13 yards to Chase and Iosivas kept the drive moving, and Zack Moss finally reached the end zone to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
It wasn’t enough, though. New England made it a two-possession game again with 8:46 left when Slye hit a 37-yard field goal, and the Bengals responded with a 51-yard field goal from Evan McPherson after a 28-yard pass to Chase got them in range before a Burrow sack killed the drive.
That left just 6:14 left to get the ball back and score a touchdown. Cincinnati got the ball back once and couldn’t prevent the Patriots from running out the clock after a three-and-out for the Bengals offense.
Burrow finished with 164 yards passing, was sacked three times and didn’t get much help from a running game that totaled 70 yards on 16 carries.
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