The Patriots will travel to Cincinnati on Sunday to play their season opener against the Bengals, ushering in the era of head coach Jerod Mayo. The squad for the game day in New England has now been set.
After starting left guard Sidy Sow (ankle) was ruled out on Friday, all four of the Patriots’ questionable players traveled with the team on Saturday: RB Antonio Gibson (hip), LB Joshua Uche (foot), OT Vederian Lowe (abdomen) and late addition S Jabrill Pepers (hip). As for raises from the practice squad, New England used its two standard raises on veteran guard Michael Jordan and defensive tackle Trysten Hill.
In addition to New England’s roster moves, the Patriots also added safety Jabrill Peppers (hip) to the injured list. Peppers is officially questionable for Sunday’s game. If he can’t play, it’s a major blow to the Pats defense, which will be trying to defend Bengals star QB Joe Burrow this week. Safety Kyle Dugger is poised to have a big year, but if Peppers is out, the Pats will rely on safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and undrafted rookie Dell Pettus.
As for the offensive line, Jordan, who started 29 times in four NFL seasons, is the favorite to replace Sow at left guard this week. During the practice where media access was available, Jordan was at left guard with the starters. However, G/C Nick Leverett was also at left guard in practice, so Leverett could play a role on the interior as well.
There is usually some rotation along the offensive line in the first week. In the early stages of the season, players have not played four full quarters. The regulars only play about a half at most in preseason games, so conditioning becomes a factor when the bigger guys up front have to go the full distance in a regular season game for the first time.
With that in mind, we could see a rotation in a few spots. For example, since Leverett can play multiple interior positions, we could see a guard rotation with Leverett replacing rookie RG Layden Robinson and Jordan. Lowe, who was limited in practice all week, could also rotate with starting LT Chuks Okorafor if he is active for the game.
The Patriots’ projected starting lineup consists of LT Okorafor, LG Jordan, C Andrews, RG Robinson and RT Onwenu, but as is often the case in openers, there could be some platooning in spots where there isn’t much of a drop in performance between the starter and the backup.
As for the offensive backfield, it’s a positive sign for the Patriots that RB Antonio Gibson (questionable, hip) traveled while the team didn’t sign a running back from the practice squad. With three backs on the 53-man roster, that suggests Gibson will likely play as a sidekick to lead back Rhamondre Stevenson on Sunday.
Stevenson is expected to do the majority of the early running, but Gibson will be a factor on offense, especially in passing situations. New England also has veteran RB JaMycal Hasty as another option in depth. Between Gibson and Hasty, the Pats will likely replace Stevenson situationally with their “space” backs on Sunday.
As for Hill, the fifth-year defensive tackle had a strong training camp and preseason. However, the Patriots released the veteran on cutdown day before re-signing him to the practice squad. New England signed DT Eric Johnson off the waivers list, but it looks like Hill will get the nod as the more experienced player in the Patriots’ defensive system on game day.
Hill will now join regulars Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale and Jeremiah Pharms on the defensive line. Second-year edge rusher Keion White will also be involved as an early-down edge setter and interior pass rusher. Hill is also projected as a potential rotational interior rusher in passing situations.
The Patriots take a 7.5-point lead into Sunday’s road game against the Bengals in Cincinnati, but the status of the Bengals’ two-headed monster at wide receiver is uncertain. Cincinnati listed star WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) as questionable on Friday’s injury report, while WR Ja’Marr Chase is questionable due to an ongoing contract dispute. Chase is expected to play only a few games after sitting out training camp, if he plays.
The uncertainty surrounding the Bengals’ offense has opened the door for a possible upset by the underdogs. With a mostly healthy roster, the Patriots will look to usher in the Mayo era with a win on Sunday.
