The Cincinnati Bengals found themselves on the wrong side of an upset in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
On a day when Joe Burrow and a passing offense that featured no Tee Higgins and a limited Ja'Marr Chase, the Bengals laid a massive egg in a heavily favored matchup.
While the defense and its lack of push against the run certainly causes some concerns, the offense is perhaps more worrisome.
Burrow, in his first game back since a season-ending wrist injury, rarely looked downfield. Despite being pressured on only 17.1% of his dropbacks — second-lowest rate in Week 1 — Burrow completed 21-of-29 passes for 164 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and an 86.0 passer rating.
The 16-10 loss marked the fourth time in five seasons that Burrow has been on the losing side of the season opener.
NFL power rankings Week 2
Opening the season at No. 7, the Bengals find themselves outside the top 10 in the power rankings by Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News going into Week 2.
"14. Cincinnati Bengals (7)
What was that? The Bengals once again looked bad early in an opener against the big underdog Patriots with issues up front on both sides. Joe Burrow can't afford to put his team in too big of a hole, and it gets much tougher with the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 2."
The offensive game plan was a complete mystery, especially in the passing game. According to Next Gen Stats, "Burrow averaged 5.6 yards per attempt when not under pressure, his lowest mark in a game since Week 6, 2023 against the Seahawks (5.0)."
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals had no answer for Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who bullied the front seven en route to 120 rushing yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Considering the latest showing and some injuries already mounting, things don't look great going into a crucial AFC matchup on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.
