Not much was expected of the 2024 Patriots, while the Bengals were supposed to be contenders. But that’s not how it looked in Week One.
New England went to Cincinnati and put on an impressive defensive performance in head coach Jerod Mayo’s debut, upsetting the favored Bengals 16-10.
Keion White was excellent for the Patriots, recording 2.5 sacks and leading a defensive effort that had Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow struggling all game. Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who skipped practice throughout training camp and the preseason in an unsuccessful attempt to get a new contract, looked fine, but Burrow wasn’t able to find him downfield often enough.
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett didn’t do much, but the Patriots didn’t ask him to do much. He just needed to manage the game and avoid turnovers. He did that well enough for the Patriots to win a game that saw Mayo getting a Gatorade bath from his players at the end, in celebration of a surprising Week One upset.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s status for Sunday’s game has been closely watched all week because the wideout has reportedly been on the fence about playing without a contract extension in place. Chase warmed up on the field before the home game against New England on Sunday morning and he is active for the season opener.
That suggests Chase will play, but there have been a lot of twists and turns with the receiver since the start of training camp so we’ll see if he has his usual role. The Bengals will take as much as they can get with Tee Higgins out and the chance to start the year with a win on the line against the Patriots.
Bengals at Patriots
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, WR Kendric Pryor, EDGE Cedric Johnson, T Amarius Mims, TE Tanner McLachlan, DT Kris Jenkins
Patriots: QB Joe Milton, WR Javon Baker, LB Curtis Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, T Zachary Thomas, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson
Cardinals at Bills
Cardinals: WR Xavier Weaver, TE Travis Vokolek, OL Jon Gaines, DB Darren Hall, LB Jesse Luketa
Bills: T Ryan Van Demark, DE Dawuane Smoot, S Cole Bishop, LB Joe Andreessen, LB Eddie Ulofoshio, C Sedrick Van-Pran Granger, DE Javon Solomon
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: CB Fabian Moreau, DB Dwight McGlothern, WR Trishton Jackson, DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT Jalen Redmond, T Walter Rouse, QB Brett Rypien
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins, LB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas, QB Tommy DeVito
Titans at Bears
Titans: S Jamal Adams, LB Otis Reese, OL John Ojukwu, TE David Martin-Robinson, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Ali Gaye
Bears: WR Tyler Scott, RB Roschon Johnson, OL Kiran Amegadjie, OL Bill Murray, DT Zacch Pickens, LB Noah Sewell, DE Dominique Robinson
Panthers at Saints
Panthers: S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, C Andrew Raym, G Jarrett Kingston, TE Tommy Tremble, TE Messiah Swinson, DE LaBryan Ray
Saints: WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, TE Dallin Holker, DT John Ridgeway
Steelers at Falcons
Steelers: QB Russell Wilson, WR Roman Wilson, DB Jalen Elliott, OL Isaac Seumalo, DL Dean Lowry
Falcons: RB Jase McClellan, CB Antonio Hamilton, DL Brandon Dorlus, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, WR Casey Washington, DL Ruke Orhorhoro
Jaguars at Dolphins
Jaguars: S Daniel Thomas, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DT Esezi Otomewo, DT Jordan Jefferson, DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright, CB Ethan Bonner, LB Channing Tindall, LB Mo Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, WR Malik Washington
Texans at Colts
Texans: WR John Metchie, RB Cam Akers, S M.J. Stewart, LB Jamal Hill, G Nick Broeker
Colts: C Tanor Bortolini, WR Josh Downs, QB Sam Ehlinger, CB Dallis Flowers, T Blake Freeland, K Matt Gay, TE Will Mallory
He doesn’t have the contract he wanted. Will he be playing?
That question still hasn’t been answered. However, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase is on the field in Cincinnati for pregame warmups. Bridget Condon of NFL Network has posted the photographic proof.
He’s officially listed as questionable. Initially, he had no injury. On Saturday, the Bengals added “illness” to the designation.
Chase’s position as of Friday was that the ball was in the team’s court. The team believed that, come Saturday, Chase would take the team’s best offer and move on.
We don’t know the details of the team’s offer, but one source with general knowledge (but perhaps not specific evidence) of the team’s position suggested that the Bengals are willing to match Justin Jefferson’s new-money average of $35 million per year.
There’s still a chance that the two sides will reach an agreement in principle before kickoff. If they don’t, will Chase play? We shall see.
Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase wanted his new contract yesterday, literally. (He actually wanted it two days ago.) On Sunday, the Bengals play the Patriots. That’s when we’ll all find out whether Chase will take the field, at a total fourth-year compensation package of $4.8 million.
The Bengals reportedly are proceeding as if Chase will play, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. However, the Bengals are also prepared to pivot if he doesn’t.
Our money would be on doesn’t. As explained during Friday night’s Packers-Eagles pregame, Chase is willing to sit if he doesn’t get what he wants. Already, the Bengals had listed him on the injury report as questionable, even though he wasn’t injured.
On Saturday, the Bengals revised the report to add “illness” to his designation. It doesn’t take a genius (which qualifies me to say it) to conclude that Chase has laid the foundation for his decision to not play tomorrow.
What’s the endgame, though? Will Chase just not play until the Bengals give him what he wants? At what point will the Bengals play hardball?
Think back to 2004, when receiver Terrell Owens wanted a revised deal from the Eagles. The Eagles said no, Owens caused trouble, and the Eagles eventually suspended him for conduct detrimental to the team.
The difference this time is that Owens played (he averaged more than 100 receiving yards in seven games during his season of extreme discontent) and Chase isn’t doing shirtless driveway situps. But the end result is the same. The player is taking a stand. And the team might not stand for it.
It all comes down to Sunday. If he doesn’t play, will the Bengals just take it?
Things could get very interesting, soon. They also could get very ugly. So far, the two sides have been playing nice. Things could change, very soon.
Ja’Marr Chase was already listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Friday’s injury report, with Chase himself declaring that it would be a game-time decision whether or not he would play in the season opener.
But now there’s something else that could keep him out of the game.
Cincinnati updated its injury report on Saturday, listing Chase with an illness. The receiver is still questionable for the Week 1 matchup against New England.
Chase has been involved in a hold-in as he seeks a new contract from the Bengals. He said on Friday that the two sides were “pretty close,” but did not sound particularly confident that they would reach a deal before Sunday’s game.
Quarterback Joe Burrow could be down his top two weapons in Week 1, as Tee Higgins is doubtful with a hamstring injury.
To that end, the Bengals announced they have elevated receiver Kendric Pryor to the active roster for Sunday.
The Patriots made an addition to their injury report on Saturday.
Safety Jabrill Peppers is now listed as questionable to play against the Bengals. Peppers has a hip injury and was not on the practice report at all this week.
Peppers signed a three-year extension with the Patriots this offseason. Peppers had 78 tackles, two interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery last season.
Left guard Sidy Sow was ruled out by the Patriots on Friday. Running back Antonio Gibson, tackle Vederian Lowe, and edge rusher Joshua Uche join Peppers in the questionable category for the season opener.
When Tom Brady arrived in the NFL 24 years ago, it was under a thick cloak of sixth-round anonymity. In his newest football gig, Brady shows up with the biggest amount of fanfare that any broadcaster has ever received.
It’s all about Tommy. From the moment the schedule came out and Brady got top billing over the Cowboys and Browns in Week 1. In-game promos during last weekend’s Penn State-West Virginia game called Brady’s debut “historic!” And Fox has done nothing but keep the bar sky high.
They’ve also kept Brady under wraps. While, as noted recently by Andrew Marchand of TheAthletic.com, Brady has done two-and-a-half live NFL practice games, he didn’t broadcast a preseason game. His first time in a booth will happen on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
He won’t have the benefit of full preparation. His pending purchase of a piece of the Raiders will keep him, by league edict, out of team facilities, production meetings, and practices. As Marchand notes, however, Brady will be allowed to talk to colleagues who were allowed to move freely in and around the teams. He’s also permitted to talk to anyone he wants on the phone.
That makes the restrictions more form than substance, frankly. The deeper message might still be that, when it’s time to vote on Brady’s acquisition of a piece of the Raiders, at least nine of 32 will say no.
It remains to be seen what fans and media will say about Brady’s performance. He will be criticized, because only the most boring and forgettable TV personalities escape scrutiny. Will he criticize players? Coaches? Officials, even though he could be fined for that as a potential Raiders owner?
Will Brady make reference to the fact that the NFL has tried to tie one hand behind his back? (The restrictions — perhaps the most newsworthy aspect of Brady’s new career — never came up during a recent appearance on FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd.)
Ultimately, will a single person who wasn’t going to watch the top Fox game of the week tune in to hear Brady? Will people who would otherwise change the channel keep watching a crappy game because of Brady? Will some people change the channel because of Brady’s involvement in the call?
However it plays out, the expectations are much higher for Brady the rookie broadcaster than it ever was for Brady the rookie quarterback.
There are only two outcomes. He will either meet expectations, or he will fail.
When the Bengals start the 2024 season on Sunday against the Patriots, they might not have both of their top receivers. Ja’Marr Chase might not play due to his contract, and Tee Higgins likely won’t play due to injury.
Higgins has a hamstring injury. He wasn’t on the injury report on Wednesday. He was limited on Thursday. And then he didn’t practice on Friday.
He’s listed as doubtful. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current thinking is he won’t be able to play. And it’s not, we’re told, related to his contract situation.
Higgins tried for well over a year to get a second deal. The Bengals applied the franchise tag, and the deadline for doing a long-term contract expired on July 15. While he can’t get a multi-year deal at this point, he might be inclined to protect himself. Which could prompt him to not play unless and until he’s 100 percent.
That’s one of the risks of not giving a guy long-term financial security. If they don’t have it, they won’t embrace an enhanced risk of injury that comes from playing while injured.
On the injury report, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase is officially listed as questionable for Week 1. But he’s not injured.
It all comes down, essentially, to a game of contract chicken.
Here’s how we understand things. Chase has communicated his best number to the Bengals. The Bengals believe, we’re told, that if they don’t move from their current number, Chase will accept it on Saturday.
That might not be the case. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Chase is definitely willing to skip the game. Which would explain why he’s a very rare “healthy questionable.”
The Bengals host the Patriots on Sunday. Without Chase, it will be harder to beat the Patriots.
The Patriots offensive line has been a reason for concern heading into the season and they’re going to be shorthanded up front for Sunday’s opener against the Bengals.
Left guard Sidy Sow has been ruled out with the ankle injury that kept him out of practice all this week. Tackle Vederian Lowe has been limited in practice with an abdomen injury and he is listed as questionable.
The Patriots list Nick Leverett as their backup at left guard while Lowe is listed as the backup to right tackle Mike Onwenu.
Edge rusher Joshua Uche (foot) and running back Antonio Gibson (hip) are also considered questionable to play. Gibson was added to the injury report on Thursday because of a foot issue.