First Patriots injury report for Week 1 vs. Bengals is better than expected

We are just days away from the Patriots' 2024 season opener, when they will head to Cincinnati to play the Bengals in Week 1. It will be a tough battle between a former AFC powerhouse and one of the new perennial Super Bowl contenders, in what should be a fascinating test for the Patriots' new and improved roster.

It will also be the first real game of the Jerod Mayo era, and it would be a great way to kick that off by sneaking out of Ohio with a win, as doubtful as that might seem to most.

The last time these teams met, the result was much closer than anyone anticipated, with the Bengals narrowly beating the Patriots 22-18 on Christmas Eve last year. A lot has changed in New England since then, and it looks like they could be in a good position to come out the victor this time, but some concerns regarding the offense put that in doubt, mainly concerning the offensive line.

It's likely one reason Jacoby Brissett was named the starter instead of rookie Drake Maye, who many believed proved he was ready for the NFL based on his preseason performance.

However, in hopes of not repeating the same fate of Mac Jones, an era Mayo witnessed first-hand, there's a fair argument to be made it's better to keep Maye on the sideline until the offense proves they are going to set him up to be successful rather than have him running for his life due to an inconsistent offensive line.

Now that we know Brissett will be under center, we also know that Ja'Marr Chase will be on the field for the Bengals' offense, which didn't look to be the case this past week. The wide receiver had begun a holdout due to a lack of negotiations for a contract extension, but he participated in practice on Wednesday afternoon.

With the game in mind and the knowledge of Chase's return to the field, the Patriots released their first injury report of the season, which provided a promising outlook for the game ahead.

The Patriots release their first injury report for the 2024 season

The Patriots' injury report was a promising development in the days leading up to their season opener, with just one player who did not participate in the practice on Wednesday afternoon.

Although it's not ideal to have an offensive lineman sidelined, it's better that the official report only has Sidy Sow missing practice rather than a longer list of names.

Hopefully, as the game nears, the list will look even better with more players moving from limited to full participants, as the Patriots will need all the help they can get to face off against the Bengals on Sunday.