What surprised you most about the Pats victory over Cincinnati? - @MrEd315

Just what a clean and complementary win it was. Usually, things in Week 1 are sloppy to begin with and the Patriots had a pretty sloppy summer if we're being honest, both in practice and preseason. But all those issues mostly fell by the wayside against Cincinnati. The Patriots never truly shot themselves in the foot. First and foremost, they didn't lose the game with mistakes and that gave them a chance to win it at the end with outstanding clutch play from all three phases. I had thought the defense would be well in sync and make things difficult for Joe Burrow, especially without Tee Higgins. But they looked close to midseason form with their aggressive play that controlled the line of scrimmage from the outset. There are plenty of areas to improve upon but when you play that kind of clean game you'll be a tough out every week. -Mike Dussault

If they can continue to run the ball like they did yesterday but the passing remains like last game will they make the change to Maye anyway? Jacoby had good plays and got lucky with a few. In this game they didn't need him to pass that much but they were trying and he wasn't great. - @cbtb121123

It's a fair criticism, just look at the 1-of-4 numbers in the red zone and the 121 passing yards. As unspectacular as the passing game was this is what they knew they were getting from Brissett. However, I'd point to New England's final field goal-scoring drive in the fourth quarter as an example of how Brissett can make the clutch throws when he needs to. Specifically, Austin Hooper's 15-yard catch on 2nd-and-10 and Hunter Henry's catch for nine yards on 3rd-and-4 as critical gotta-have-it plays that Brissett deserves a lot of credit for. I'm not sure how, if at all, his overall performance reflects any kind of change to the Maye timeline. This weekend against the Seahawks will be an even tougher test for Brissett. It's a defense he's not as familiar with as he was with the Bengals, and it's a defense that loves to disguise their intentions. Progress in the passing game is critical. If the offense continues to be stuck in low gear they won't be able to pull out similar kinds of victories against the most high-powered attacks. -Mike Dussault

Am I wrong to think our defense looked more physical yesterday? They have always been a good tackling team but there seemed to be a gluttony of punishment with each tackle. - @Soxnation0613

I think it's a good reflection on the work they did in training camp. They had a fully padded practice with tackling to the ground which is something I had never seen in five previous training camps. They also ran plenty of hills at the end of practices and I think those things really paid off going against an opponent with a history of slow starts. There's no question the defense set the tone through the first quarter, not allowing a first down until Cinci's fourth possession. We always came to believe the Patriots to be a good tackling defense each year, but this season especially they came roaring out of the gate. It's a good sign that they're going to play with a needed edge. -Mike Dussault

Old school wins. Play good defense and on offense do enough to win. It's just 1 game and hopefully things on offense will improve. Would love to see our QB putting up 300 yards, giving ample opportunities for our young WR core to develop and have a high-octane offense in future! - @TB12BBGoat

There are two clear steps I'd prescribe for the Patriots after Week 1. First is that they have to get those receivers more involved even if the passing game is sputtering. Pop Douglas needs more than two touches. Tyquan Thornton needs some deep shots coming his way. Second, is that on defense they'll have to get more pressure. An 11% pressure rate when rushing four guys is not a great sign. Maybe they'll have to scheme things up a little more, but they were lucky to get Burrow out of sync for a large chunk of the game when they really weren't getting that much heat on him. Their success was as much about disguise on the second and third levels that gave Burrow pause as he went through his progressions. They need to find a way to ignite the passing game beyond the backs and tight ends this week. -Mike Dussault

Let's dream of a situation where it's week 5 or 6 and the Pats are not sucking. Jacoby ain't bad. Do you see Mayo upgrading the QB position anyway? - @BostonRants08

The biggest question first is are they actually winning games? Because 'not sucking' sounds like they'd be around .500. If that's the case I think they'll continue to take their time with Maye. I do believe Maye has to get some game experience this year, preferably with at least a handful of starts. But if the Pats are somehow staying in the playoff hunt with Jacoby and players and fans are buying in and there's real belief that they're putting something special together even with the third overall pick waiting in the wings, it's an ideal problem to have. Ultimately, I think the lack of explosive passing plays will be the piece that spurs the changeover, but it's a lot easier to wait when things are going okay than if they're a train wreck and the staff's hand is forced. -Mike Dussault

Dugger's massive talent and a little luck bailed the defense out of two potential TDs for Cinci back-to-back. Are we concerned about Dugger and Peppers in coverage against more talented TEs (Kittle/Kincaid)? - @Fir3fly34

For whatever it's worth, Jabrill Peppers was the 9th-highest graded safety with at least 400 snaps in coverage last year by PFF. Dugger was 54th. Both allowed two catches against the Bengals according to PFF, Dugger for 18 yards, Peppers for 11 yards. I don't think it's a stretch to say that both of them are best when they're closer to the line of scrimmage rather than playing in the deep half. It's also a fair concern against some of the better tight ends in the league that are coming down the highway. With subpar pressure, there could be a spotlight on opponents targeting their tight ends and backs in coverage against the Patriots safeties and linebackers. It's hard to engineer matchups all the time, but it's been a concern with this group post Devin McCourty and, as you said, a couple of near touchdown plays almost brought those concerns to the forefront. We'll see how it goes and how Jaylinn Hawkins might factor in. -Mike Dussault

Yes, I think Brissett is hurt from that last pre-season game his one throw to Thornton over 30 yards was a blooper and nothing over ten after that in the air. When he got hit and went to the ground he was in pain wasn't a big hit .. do you think there's an injury there? - @CheyenneSulli14

There hasn't been anything mentioned so far and Brissett was not asked about it in the post-game so I believe this is more on managing chances than it is an injury. Perhaps the near endzone interception was also a factor that worried the coaches about taking shots outside and deep. Either way, as discussed above, finding a way to bring the intermediate and deep passing game to life will be a critical next step for this offense. It's fair to wonder to what level can the offense get it to, especially when Brissett was under pressure nearly 50 percent of his dropbacks. Maye's willingness and ability to chuck the ball downfield will be an appealing shift at some point but there are some steps to be taken before making that change. -Mike Dussault

Nothing that has to do with the game but I'm really curious to what all of you on PU think about what Belichick said about Maye during his talk with Lombardi. Did you all discuss yet? - @gmaria8

You can check out Coach's comments here https://x.com/UnderdogFantasy/status/1832531856027259241). Personally I thought they were dead on and echo what both Tom Brady and the current Patriots coaching staff have indicated. Maye's got a ton of talent and it's not a surprise that it only took a couple of big throws for people to start salivating over him. But if there's one thing I've learned from Brady, it's that plays are more often won or lost before the snap. Brady made the most of sitting as a rookie and slowly piled up more and more knowledge so that he knew what to do simply by deciphering the defense as he got ready for the snap. Maye at the very least needs some games to understand how NFL games go from the QB perspective. I agree with the decision not to start him right away and I think BB does a great job pointing out how raw he is. It's important to note that Maye is right now in some ways the anti-Brady… all the physical talent and not enough refinement. But it's not too much to think as he better understands the game he'll truly be able to put his God-given talents to full use. Patience is hard, but so is quarterbacking in the NFL. -Mike Dussault

Pats used Caedan Wallace as a swing tackle quite a bit yesterday, do you see this being a recurring trend to help with our OL issues through the season? Also last year we had 1/17 games with net positive EPA on O; this year we're already 1/1, here's to more! - @HitchikersPie

Loved seeing how they got Wallace's feet wet in the first game, it was a perfect way to get him snaps, let him impact the game but not put any of the pressure on him to be a pass protector. I hope he can use this experience to continue getting more and more play time, perhaps eventually ascending to a starting right tackle role. Could Lowe-Robinson-Andrews-Onwenu-Wallace be where this offensive line eventually ends up? It would be a great sign if two rookies can win starting jobs, solidifying at least four-fifth's of the OL. -Mike Dussault

Hi Deuce. Happy Monday! So, there was plenty of 85 and 81 on the field for the Pats last night. Do you think, perhaps, I have a season of two tight end sets to enjoy with this new offense? - @clazzyclare

I think you might not see too much more of the 12 personnel this year, Clare. They ran 12 plays of 12 and 13 plays of 12 with a tackle eligible for about 40%. 11 personnel (1 TE, 3 WR) remains the go-to with 53 percent of the snaps. Along those lines, they stuck with four wide receivers and the two tight ends as their primary packages. The offense needs to be more productive in the passing game and it seems like they know exactly which six "weapons" they way to do it with. On the bright side, Austin Hooper continues to look like the best complementary TE we've had for Henry since he arrived. And remember, both were banged up in camp. We're just scratching the surface with them. -Mike Dussault

Kudos to Mayo and Pats, but the pregame vibe from Bengals was how unprepared that team was for the opener and still could have won it if not for very sloppy football. So can Pats keep relying on their D and ground game going forward? -Stan C.

This is the bottom line for me, Stan. This is a narrow road to victory and for all the good vibes coming off the win, it's a road they've walked too much in recent seasons. You can't lose the turnover battle. You must get an early lead. Special teams has to maximize field possession. And most importantly, you've got to make the clutch plays at the end. And even then it is likely to be a hotly-contested one-score game where one play will swing the result. They checked all of those boxes against the Bengals but how many times a year can you play perfectly like that? You need some explosiveness to overcome when you aren't able to walk that narrow road. As for the defense, they've given us no reason to think they'll be very far off from where they've been in recent seasons as one of the toughest defenses in the league. But with that said, the pass rush will have to be better against the better fully-manned teams. A good defense and an effective run game are worth a lot but I think everyone realizes that if you're going to really compete for championships you've got to be able to get after the opposing quarterback consistently and throw the ball around the yard a bit more than they did in Week 1. -Mike Dussault

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