New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals odds, expert picks, how to watch: Belichick out, Burrow back

New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals odds, expert picks, how to watch: Belichick out, Burrow back

It’s a new era for the New England Patriots.

For the first time since 1999, someone other than Bill Belichick will be patrolling the team’s sideline as Jerod Mayo makes his head coaching debut against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s about as tough a game as he can start, as he’ll be going against a potential Super Bowl contender, and he’ll be coming in as more than a touchdown underdog. They’re the biggest underdogs on the Week 1 schedule.

The Patriots are just 5-14-1 against the spread in their last 20 games.

Though the Patriots used the No. 3 pick in the draft on quarterback Drake Maye, they open the season with Jacoby Brissett as their starter in hopes that he can provide some veteran leadership to an offense lacking in playmakers and depth. How long that experiment will last remains to be seen.

The Patriots will struggle to score points all season long, and they will have to turn every game into a defensive, low-scoring battle to secure the wins.

The good news: Their defense may be able to do that occasionally, and they can also catch the Bengals at the right time. While quarterback Joe Burrow is back after missing the second half of last season with a wrist injury, he has tended to start slowly over the past two seasons, and the availability of superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is still an unknown, as he barely practiced in the preseason due to a contract dispute. On Saturday, the team updated Chase’s questionable status to also include a medical concern.

If Chase doesn’t play and Burrow continues to be limited by the wrist injury, it could help close the gap between the two teams, which on paper would be large.

All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Find them here.

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New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals Odds

How to Watch Patriots vs. Bengals

  • Location: Paycor Stadium — Cincinnati
  • Time: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday
  • TV: CBS
  • Streaming: Watch Live on Fubo (Save $30)

Expert Picks for Patriots vs. Bengals

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(Photo by Joe Burrow: Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA Today Network)