The New England Patriots have spent the offseason trying to improve their offense, which was one of the worst in the NFL in 2023. Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals offered the first real glimpse of the investments made, and it’s safe to say they’ve left their mark on the unit.
Led by quarterback Jacoby Brissett, three offseason additions were on the field for all 65 offensive snaps: In addition to Brissett, the two starting guards – practice squad callup Michael Jordan and fourth-round rookie Layden Robinson – were there from start to finish. In addition, wide receiver KJ Osborn played most of his positions with 40 snaps and was tied with the team leader with three receptions (which he made for 21 yards).
The Patriots’ player with the most receiving yards on Sunday was also signed in the spring. Austin Hooper, who played 36 snaps as the No. 2 tight end alongside Hunter Henry, gained 31 yards on his two receptions.
All five of these players played important roles on offense in Week 1. With the exception of Jordan – who will likely return as a backup once starter Sidy Sow returns from his ankle injury – little is expected to change going forward.
With that in mind, here is our snap count report from the Patriots’ win over the Bengals.
attack
Total snaps: 65 | Playing time: 32:57
QB Jacoby Brissett* (65; 100%), LG Michael Jordan* (65; 100%), C David Andrews* (65; 100%), RG Layden Robinson* (65; 100%), RT Michael Onwenu* (65 ; 100%), TE Hunter Henry* (54; 83%), LT Vederian Lowe (53; 82%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (51; 78%), WR KJ Osborn* (40; 62%), WR DeMario Douglas* (39; 60%), WR Tyquan Thornton* (38; 58%), TE Austin Hooper (36; 55%), WR Ja’Lynn Polk (35; 54%), OT/TE Caedan Wallace (18; 28%), RB Antonio Gibson (14; 22%), LT Chukwuma Okorafor* (12; 18%)
*denotes starter
In addition to the five highlighted above, four other offseason additions were used on offense. Second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk was a rotation option at wide receiver, playing 35 snaps; third-round pick Caedan Wallace was used as a jumbo tight end/sixth O-lineman, playing 18 snaps; Antonio Gibson occasionally gave RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson a breather, playing 14 snaps and seven carries for 18 yards.
Then there was Chukwuma Okorafor. The free agency pickup started the game at left tackle but was benched after 12 snaps in favor of the recovering Vederian Lowe. Although Lowe has missed some time recently with an abdominal injury, he was inserted into the lineup in the first quarter and proved to be an improvement over the struggling starter.
Otherwise, the wide receiver group looked as expected. In addition to the aforementioned Osborn, DeMario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton filled the starting roles at this position. They each caught two passes in their 39 and 38 snaps respectively.
defense
Total snaps: 51 | Playing time: 25:16
S Kyle Dugger* (51; 100%), S Jabrill Peppers* (51; 100%), LB Ja’Whaun Bentley* (51; 100%), CB Christian Gonzalez* (51; 100%), DE/ED Keion White* (41; 80%), CB Marcus Jones* (41; 80%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (37; 73%), DT Daniel Ekuale* (37; 73%), CB Jonathan Jones* (36 ; 71%), DT Davon Godchaux* (33; 65%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (28; 55%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (24; 47%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (23; 45%), CB Marco Wilson (15; 29%), ED Joshuah Uche (13; 25%), ED Oshane Ximines (11; 22%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (11; 22%), DT Trysten Hill (7; 14%)
*denotes starter
The Patriots had four players on the field for each of their 51 defensive snaps, and they were the ones you’d expect: safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and No. 1 cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Peppers’ presence in that group is especially notable given that he was coming off a hip injury just 48 hours before kickoff.
Other players who had notable workloads included defensive lineman Keion White, who finished with the third-highest game share of his career (80%) and was a threat throughout the day. As he emerged as a starter-caliber player, team captain Deatrich Wise Jr. took on more of a rotational role, seeing 23 snaps compared to White’s 41.
At center defensive end, the Patriots turned to Daniel Ekuale to replace Christian Barmore. With the starter out for at least four weeks on the non-football injured list, Ekuale stepped in and led all defensive tackles with 37 snaps.
On the edge, the Patriots used the versatile White and Anfernee Jennings as their top options. They also used a mix of Wise Jr., Jahlani Tavai, Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximines.
Special teams
Total snaps: 21 | Playing time: 1:47
S Jaylinn Hawkins (17; 81%), ED Oshane Ximines (17; 81%), LB Raekwon McMillan (17; 81%), CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (17; 81%), S Brenden Schooler (17; 81%) ), LB Christian Elliss (17; 81%), S Dell Pettus (12; 57%), P/H Bryce Baringer (9; 43%), LS Joe Cardona (9; 43%), K Joey Slye (8; 38%), LB Jahlani Tavai (7; 33%), ED Anfernee Jennings (7; 33%), CB Alex Austin (7; 33%), S Kyle Dugger (6; 29%), DE Keion White (6; 33%) 29%), RB/KR JaMycal Hasty (6; 29%), S Jabrill Peppers (5; 24%), G Layden Robinson (4; 19%), G Michael Jordan (4; 19%), OT Michael Onwenu (4; 19%), OT Vederian Lowe (4; 19%), TE Austin Hooper (4; 19%), OT Caedan Wallace (4; 19%), OL Nick Leverett (4; 19%), RB/KR Antonio Gibson (3; 14%), CB /PR Marcus Jones (3; 14%), CB Marco Wilson (3; 14%), ED Joshuah Uche (3; 14%), TE Jaheim Bell (3; 14%), DT Daniel Ekuale (2, 10%) , DT of which Godchaux (2, 10%)
With Brenden Schooler getting increasing opportunities at safety in training camp and the preseason, there has been speculation about how the Patriots would use their kicking game personnel. On Sunday, at least, it was used largely separately from the rest of the roster.
A total of 12 players were used exclusively in the kicking game, which would have been the highest number of such players last season. Among them, the core players of the special teams are easy to identify: In addition to the specialists, a total of seven players played more than half of the snaps in the third phase of the game, including two – Jaylinn Hawkins and Oshane Ximines – who also played on defense.
Not played
WR Kayshon Boutte, QB Drake Maye
With Jacoby Brissett not leaving the field in a close game and looking solid, the Patriots didn’t have to put their first-round rookie quarterback in the lineup, so Drake Maye spent the entire game on the bench, along with wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who was at the bottom of the lineup.
Inactive
WR Javon Baker, LB Curtis Jacobs, OT Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson, QB Joe Milton (emergency QB), G Sidy Sow, OL Zachary Thomas
The Patriots’ list of inactive players contained no real surprises. Left guard Sidy Sow was out with an ankle injury, while the other six players deactivated for the game were all healthy holdouts: Two draft picks (Javon Baker, Joe Milton) were inactive, as were all four players New England acquired from the waiver wire list after the cutdown (Curtis Jacobs, Demontrey Jacobs, Eric Johnson, Zachary Thomas).
