Three Takeaways Following Cincinnati Bengals' 16-10 Loss to New England Patriots

The Bengals are 0-1 for a third-straight season.

Sep 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) huddles his team in the second half against the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals lost to the Patriots 16-10 on Sunday. Here are three postgame takeaways following their third consecutive Week 1 loss:

Slow Start

Maybe this team is destined to start every season with a loss. The Patriots aren't a good football team. We're going to look back at that game a month from now and wonder how Cincinnati lost to New England.

The Bengals play the Chiefs, Commanders and Panthers over the next three weeks. They have to go 2-1 during that stretch.

The good news is everyone in the AFC North lost except the Steelers. The bad news is the Bengals could've gotten a jump on the Ravens and the Browns.

Related: Winners and Losers From Cincinnati Bengals' Loss to New England Patriots

No Offense

The Bengals' offense was ... awful. It was one of the worst performances we've seen from a group led by Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

Tee Higgins was out. Chase made the decision to play on Sunday—at least that's when Burrow said he found out that the star wide receiver was playing.

Burrow didn't push the ball down the field. He averaged 5.7 yards-per-attempt. He only attempted three passes (1-for-3) of 20+ yards.

The Bengals have to be able to push the ball down the field.

Run Defense Struggles

The Bengals' rushing offense was effective, but the Patriots' run game stole the show. Cincinnati's defense struggled to tackle Rhamondre Stevenson and Jacoby Brissett.

Stevenson ran for 120 yards and Brissett racked up another 32 rushing yards, including a 16-yard scramble.

Tackling was a major issue for Lou Anarumo's crew. They forced field goals, but New England ran the ball effectively. The Patriots ran 65 plays on offense. The Bengals only ran 51 plays.

Cincinnati has a lot to clean up before Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs.

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