Bengals vs. Patriots Preview, the Latest on Ja'Marr Chase's Hold-In

welcome into the pfn Bengals podcast I am Dallas Robinson he is Jay Morrison Jay it's week one football is officially back we've got a big show for you today we going to touch on Jamar chase that is obviously the biggest story in in Bengals land right now with week one approaching we're also going to get into some of our season predictions and how we see this Bengal season playing out in 2024 and then we hope you'll stick around for our conversation with pfn Patriots beat writer Dakota Randle who's going to give us all the inside Intel on New England and how they stack up going into week one Jay there's lot going on football's officially back H how are you doing in our first official regular season podcast edition how are you doing today I'm great I'm I feel like we're finally here we are Towing the line we're right we're waiting for the starting gun to go off it's we're at what there's Ready Set boom I guess we're set right now so I've been ready now we're set let's get this thing going so the biggest story is DeMar Chase in Bengals land still not practicing he's practiced a couple times this summer but he's still is Holden Dak Taylor keeps saying we'll take it day by day it's so up in the air it's far more up in the air than I think either of you or I thought this Summer that it would be whether Jamar Chase is actually gonna suit up in week one or not we'll know tomorrow on Wednesday if he practices I think that'll give us a pretty good idea of how things are going to look for Sunday what's your take on where things stand I mean do you do you think Jamar Chase is going to be on the field Sunday do you think we'll see him practicing this week what's your take on where this whole situation is right now I don't know I mean it's it's so up in the air I I've said all along I expect him to play he just that's the only leverage he has is to not play and then it just goes completely away if he goes out there and and or he sits out and they win games anyhow they win this game without Jamar Chase and so I think that's just a bad look if he's if he doesn't play and then they win without him and nobody's foolish enough to say that this team is gonna be fine without Jamar Chase but um he does lose even more leverage if he doesn't play but again it's Wednesday's going to be a big day you know is he going to practice and you know it's it's not just not getting a deal done it's it's the manner in which you like you could see if they were really close and they're hammering things out and and it's like it's a good faith thing and he goes out and practices but if it's if it's not and we really don't know neither side says much at all so we don't know how far apart they are and if if the Bengals have kind of given a you know take it or leave it type offer and just refusing to come off of that number I could see there'd be some some hard feelings and Jamar would dig in a little more um but it's it's just been so weird with coming back to practice and then sitting back out again and um that just the whole wanting an extension at this point when there's two years left on his deal you know you they they we've seen this last year burrow comes down to the the Thursday before the opener um they get that one done the the AJ Green one in 2015 they're getting ready to go to the airport to fly to Oakland that gets done that one was a little different because that was AJ was going into his fifth year option and the last thing the Bengals wanted was for him to play the season without an extension and then get frustrated or whatever and just hit free agency and then they have no shot he's free to go and walk away this is different they know they've got Jamar in contract another year after this one I just don't feel think the Bengals feel the urgency right now now and it's it seems like it's going to take some concessions from Chase's camp and and I I I don't know where they're at but the sense is that that he wants to be the highest paid guy in the league and he wants a lot of guaranteed money I think that Bengals would be fine with making him the highest paid guy just put him a little bit over Justin Jefferson even though he doesn't quite have the resume yet that's just the way these stair step increases go with position guys with guys resetting the market at their position it feels like the guaranteed money is the sticking point and you just there's just no way to know what is exactly going to happen I I still don't feel confident that a deal is goingon to get done but it does feel closer than maybe when this started at the started training camp where it just felt like nah it's probably gonna be I was almost certain it was gonna be next spring or summer now I'm not sure I think there is a decent chance something happens but uh the question of whether he's going to play or not is a good one because even if a deal gets done he hasn't practiced much and IA about that yesterday what could he play a full snap count he said he couldn't he can't say that for 100% certainty you you need to see where a guy's conditioning is once you get into the game and and how much he's having to tap out and that type of thing so there's just there's so many questions with where Jamar Chas stands right now yeah I think you're right that it doesn't really matter for week one I think the Bengals can clearly beat the Patriots with or without Jamar Chase but it's it's just so interesting that it's gotten to this point to the point where Jamar is making his kind of un known by going out to practice and Street Clos and making sure he walks in front of the cameras and kind of knowing he's going to put Zack Taylor in a bad position right by doing all that make him answer those questions so it's it's very interesting that it's gotten to this point and I I I'm just I'm right there with you I don't know if a deal is going to get done or not Jamar does not have the track record of a Justin Jefferson at this point in his career but you're right that's just how these contracts work in terms of Leverage in terms of the next guy in line and whether the Bengals get there or not is an open question guarantees structure is always going to be a question for this team the Bengals operate in a contract structure realm unlike any other team really they're not willing to go beyond certain years for guarante structures they obviously went against that with Joe burrow do they put Jamar in that same class are they willing to to kind of do things differently contract wise for him we'll see and and whether he practices tomorrow I think is huge but you're right even if he does come back this week is he going to get a full workload I think the Bengals probably feel good enough about this week one situation they wouldn't have to give him a full work workload regardless of what happens but it's such an odd situation I I think it's it's really strung itself out much farther than you or I thought that we'd be at this point we I think that we didn't necessarily think that a deal would be done at this point but we thought that both sides would kind of think okay we'll put this forward until next offseason we'll put this we'll table this until next offseason we'll get through this year and see where things are and it just doesn't seem like jamar's Camp is is willing to go through with that plan yeah and it's important to note too you know you mentioned it how different the Bengals are and jamar's agent Rocky Arseno has never dealt with the Bengals before in a contract like this he's really he he got Ezekiel Elliott I think it was five years 90 million a few years ago and it was about 50 million guaranteed it was a really good contract but this is it's a whole different animal now and and every agent will tell you that it's it it's completely different negotiating with the Bengals than it is with so many other team so they're kind of learning as they go as well and the Bengals just rarely come off they they they set of value and they stick to it and there's there's really as I said earlier no urgency for them to get it done other than to make Jamar happy but they've got a track record of that of guys not being happy and they find a way to to smooth it over and and they play out the the end of their deal Jessie Bates and and Jonah Williams and Dre all these guys T Higgins even on the the the fifth year this year um it's it's just one of the not the fifth year the the franchise tag it's just one of those things where they they they find find a way to keep a guy happy you hope they can do that with Jamar if they don't get it done the last thing you want is for for him to be Sullen and and become an issue in the locker room for a team that has such high Super Bowl prospects let's get into to the team that has the Super Bowl prospects and let's do our little season preview here and get some predictions off our chest before before we get into week one you know we gota we got to do a little prognostication here and see how we think the season is going to turn out from a Bengals perspective so we've got a lot of different categories here a lot of superlatives we're going to roll through and just see how we think this 24 2024 season is going to play out for the Bengals let's start with some individual Awards Jay I want to know if you think the Bengals are going to have any pro bowlers any all Pros any awards whatsoever next year when when it comes time for NFL honors do you think the Bengals will get any of those postseason Awards on the roster yeah I do I mean pro bowlers for sure um I think you you know if burrow stays healthy he's going to be on there jamar's been on there every year even if he sits out the first four games or whatever he he's I mean he made the Pro Bowl the year that he missed four games in a row with a broken hip he's he can do that he can overcome that um I think Trey Hendrickson is is gonna be a pro bowler again this year um then for the first timers I'm gonna put two first- timers on there I'm gonna put Gino Stone the safety you know he had the great year last year he was second in the NFL with interceptions if he has that kind of year again this year which I think he might the Bengals are going to have a good pass Rush they're going to have a solid back end and and I can see this team really be a ball Hawking team and I can see that's Gino specialty I can see him being right up there among the lead leaders again you do that two years in a row it's going to get noticed and that's going to lead to a pro bowl vote and then I think it's time for Evan mcferson um I expect him I know it it's hard to you know translate fantasy to to real football but I think he's going to be a top three fantasy kicker and I I think his time is going to come it's hard because there's so many other good established kickers in the AFC but uh I think he's going to have one of those Seasons where he can't be denied and he can make it and then Tyson Anderson I will put in there that as a special team's alternate and I think CTB I think cam Taylor Brit could be an alternate this year I think he he's gonna be the guy next year that we're talking about looking for the contract extension and and he really feels like he's on the come and rising and um I I think this is going to be a big year for cam Taylor Brit but again to to be a firsttime pro bowler sometimes it takes two good years in a row to really get the name recognition out there no I absolutely I'm I'm right there with you I've got mostly the same list I didn't have Geno Stone that's a good that's a good call I I think that if he gets the same interception total and playing on a new team same division if the Bengals win the division I I I do feel like he could be on there but yeah I had burrow Chase Hendrickson I'm right there with mcferson on you too I do think he could be in his first Pro Bowl selection time I don't have any all Pros I mean I feel like it's too it's so hard the All Pro list is so exclusive I I just don't see that I do think burrow could be in consideration for comeback player of the year though I I do think that he'll be in that mix the NFL kind of restructured the the qualifications for that award so it's more geared towards guy who are coming back from injury as opposed to just like off field situations obviously like Aaron Rogers is gonna be in that mix maybe Nick chubba if he comes back but I think Joe Burl will be in that mix after missing so much time last year and it he has a good season if the Bengals play as well as we think I think he could be in that comeback Player of the Year mix yeah I put I I had him down as for the NFL passing leader this year and if he's the NFL passing leader he's going to be comeback player of the year and I think chub that that was such a devastating injury that if he has a huge year he's a really good bet um Rogers just because of the name recognition but I don't know is he gonna is he gonna have a great year I I had a a fantasy draft uh on Sunday and I got Aron Rogers in the 17th round the 17th and Final Round it's like he's just kind of a forgotten man and you don't know how good that Jets offense is going to be but I do I think bro is gonna have a fantastic year and he he could be second Team all pro but it's just hard to I can't pick him to win MVP and I can't pick him to be all pro when he's in the same conference with Patrick momes yeah that's exactly the same for me there's there's so many good quarterbacks it feels wrong to pick out anybody really against against Patrick Mahomes uh Bengals Rookie of the Year I'll go first on this one I I think I'm maybe a little off the board here I'm gonna go with Eric all I I think that by I think we talked about this last week by end of October oober by November I see a situation where Eric all is the tight end one on this team he can play in line he can play in the slot he can block he can pass catch I know he you know missed a lot of time during the the summer with injuries but he's healthy he's looked good in training camp he's looked good in the preseason I feel like he's the most complete tight end the Bengals have on this roster and I tight ends always take a while to develop right they take it you have to get their feet wet there's a lot going on with the transition from college to Pros but I feel like we get to November December I feel like Eric ol is going to be taking the majority of those tight end snaps and I I really like the situation that he's set up in and I think that he's going to surprise a lot of people yeah I mean he starts camp on an injury list you just look at that trajectory of what he's done already and if this continues he's gonna have a big year and and I I don't know about the the numbers but this is this is our award we're the only ones voting and he is a big part of this that the numbers are almost secondary if he's out there and he is a factor in the Run game which you expect him to be and if his play leads them to to go away from this super Reliance on 11 personnel and you see them move in more into the 12 and the running game takes the leap everyone expects he's gonna be a big part of that so I I do I like that pick a lot but um I have a hard time going away with the Marius Mims I just he's gonna be there he's gonna start uh he's gonna take over for Trent Brown at some point it's not gonna be Sunday Zack Taylor already said that it's going to be Trent Brown going against his former team in the Patriots but you know it's coming and and maybe sooner rather than later and again that's if this run game if this short yardage game in particular can take a big leap he's gonna be a big part of that he's just such a massive man and it's just gonna be a massive impact as well so I I just I can't see them holding him out and I I really do think he's gonna have a a good year um just it's something that they've been looking for and Trent Brown's injury history it's just all lines up for for him to be that guy that you you say okay he's the Rookie of the Year even if Eric all has a great season that goes right into our next question is when do you think amarius Mims will take over as the starter Trent Brown is GNA be out there for week one amarius Mims seems like he's getting back towards full health like when when do you think he's going to take over at right tackle for or Trent Brown yeah I think they would like to see two full weeks of practice before they would even consider getting him in there and a lot of it depends on how Trent Brown plays like Amari Mims could be back to full health and be looking great but if Trent Brown's doing it and everything's fine I think he could hold him off a little longer um I just I'm gonna point to to week four at Carolina um you know I'm not sure that he's quite going to be ready by by week three against Washington but I could see their they maybe being some some slight issues here and there with Trent Brown and then that gives Amari smims two to three weeks to a full practi to get back in the flow and kind of reclaim what looked like I mean looked like he was gonna be the starter he he had the peck injury so I think that feels like a good bet I don't know that you would want to do it in week five and make his debut against a division opponent in a huge game like the Ravens so working him in at a game like a Carolina where you know kind of training wheels preseason type of game against a really poor team um I I think that might be where we see him take over no I think that makes sense when I was this question I think I looked at it more of when is Trent Brown going to start struggle and when you know when will the Bengals want to make that change do have a stretch here like week five against Baltimore we don't we don't know what that pass rush is going to look like I think a lot of simulated pressures and we'll we'll see how Trent Brown handles that the Giants I mean they've got Dexter Lawrence in the middle but they added Brian Burns this off season they've got Kavon tho week seven we know what miles Garrett is I was a little farther down the schedule than EJ I was thinking like week eight maybe Trent Brown struggles in this week five through seven stretch and maybe gives up a few PR maybe that's when Zack Taylor says we need to get mims in there but but I do think it could come earlier I mean I think Mims is just obviously an incredibly talented player Trent Brown I mean I hate to say but his injury history is so concerning that he really could get nicked up or banged up at any moment and if that happens if he if he comes out and even misses a few series I think there's a situation where that's it where MIM goes in picks up a few plays because Brown is nied up and and brown never gets back in the lineup I could absolutely see a situation like that but yeah I had it a little bit later in this season but I I wouldn't be surprised if Mims gets in really at any point and and I think once he does get in there I it's hard to see him giving that up boring injury yeah uh next question here which player who's not a part of the starting 22 is going to play the most snaps so the way we looked at this is we considered Zach Moss the starting running back we're considering 11 personnels so three wide receivers with with with giki on the field and nichel personnel with with Mike Hilton in the in the slot so if we're assuming those are the 22 starters Jay aside from that group who do you think is going to play the mosts aside from that starting 2022 yeah I mean I I think it would be Chase Brown because I do I think the plan the ideal scenarios for those guys to be about 5050 and so if we're not going to list him as part of the starting 22 I think he's a a really good bet for that if if I go on the defensive side I think it might be Joseph Osa because he you figure he's going to be a third part of the third down package and if he can continue his trajectory of what he's looked like this offseason this preseason you know maybe he moves Sam hubt inside on some early Downs or maybe he gets some full series by himself and they rest Sam hubt or they rest Trey Hendrickson um and try to keep those guys pressure as part of rotation so I think Joseph osai is a guy that you're gonna see really get a lot this yeah I like both of those choices I had them both on my list I would with Chris Jenkins you know I think that he is just so solidly the number three def defensive tackle on this team and they need the help they need the help on the interior with McKinley Jackson injured I do think Joseph mosiah is going to play a lot of snaps at the beginning of the year I wonder what it looks like when miles Murphy gets back like whether his snaps get get reduced a little bit um Chase Brown I do think there's a chance that kind of like we talked about with Mims that maybe he's so explosive and so impressive in his limited reps if he's if he's splitting reps early on that maybe he just takes over as the true rb1 going on he's he's handled that work hose Workhorse role in college before it's not like he can't do it um but I but I think it's Chris Jenkins for me I just think that you know Zack Carter played 500 defensive snaps last season and and I I I think that there is a spot there for a guy like Chris Jenkins especially on passing Downs to get a lot of work in his rookie year and I I didn't pick him as my Rookie of the Year even though I think he's going to play the most snaps I don't know that Chris Jenkin is going to be a superstar from day one but I definitely think he will be counted on uh as the third member of that defensive tackle rotation yeah I agree with you and I think he's only going to get better you they Mar and hobby talked about how he still gets himself into some bad situations and he's strong enough to get out of them and and once he really starts getting the technique part down and and stops getting in those bad situations then his playing time could just it could Skyrocket let's move over to the coaching staff you know we we saw Brian Callahan get a head coaching this job this offseason head coaching job after years as the Bangals offensive coordinator the Bengals had some coaching staff turnover for the first time in a long time look look forward to next offseason Jay is there a coach on this staff that you think is going to be do a promotion whether that's on the Bengals staff whether that's head coaching interest maybe coordinator interest from somewhere else is there a coach on the Bengal staff that you're pinpointing to be in the news next offseason yeah I just think I if you can coach quarterbacks in this league you've got a future and and Dan pitcher was or as quarterback's coach since he got here and now he's offensive coordinator and we've seen guys make this leap you know Dave Canales one year as a play caller and and he gets a head coaching job and and Bobby slowick was a a hot commodity this year after just one year as OC in Houston so if this Bengals offense plays the way I think we all expect them to now both those guys were play callers and pitcher is not going to be but it didn't it might have taken a little longer for Brian Callahan to do it but um I I I think pitcher he's just so bright if he gets in and gets interviews he's gonna win over some GM or some owner uh and be in line for that kind of promotion um and then outside of him I think Troy Walters is is a guy that's poised to be an offensive coordinator in this league sometime if if Jamar sits out a few games and and you got to deal with that situation you gotta deal with trying to bring Germaine Burton along and um if you see those kind of this this offense flourish and and the the wide receivers be as big a part of it as we expect them to be I I think it could finally be Troy Walter's time for a promotion and start getting some OC interviews no I think those are great I think you had mentioned that when you know Callahan was getting hired in Tennessee and when when pitcher was taking interviews where that Troy Walters very much would have been in that mix for OC had had Dan pitcher gone elsewhere so he's definitely on the list as well you know PA Sal Lou arum I who knows if he's ever going to be in the Knicks again but maybe if the Bengals defense shows a a huge Improvement this year and he mixes in a lot of good young players and gets back to that creativity we've seen in the past maybe he gets mixed in I want to toss out Justin rcot you know I think he has had a good track record as an assistant o coach with the Vikings um if the Bengals defense looks a lot or off sorry looks a lot different this year and you can attribute a lot of those changes to a new voice like riscotti I think he be in the mix OC jobs around the league last one I would mention Charles Burks quarterback's coach for the Bengals I think he's done a pretty pretty good job through his time here turned him in a really good starting corner if Dax Hill thrives as an outside corner having never played that position really at any full-time basis in College of the pros I I think Charles Burks is gonna get a lot of credit if Dax Hill does that in year one if Josh Newton has to play and step in the slot maybe for Mike Hilton I think he'll got a lot get a lot of credit for that Charles Burks worked with xaven Howard with the dolphins during his best season when he was a pro bowler and led the league in interception so I think if we're looking for a young defensive guy who could be in the DC mix maybe get a couple interviews next year I I would throw Charles Burks into that mix yeah I love that pick he's he's a young upand Comer and he's he's another one of those guys when you talk to him it's just an impressive way he comes across and I I give the Bengals credit for that the way that they they make all of these assistants available to the media and I know doing interviews with the media is totally different than interviewing for jobs but I definitely think it helps it's it's a kind of a practice run of thinking on your feet it's not like they want the questions submitted in advance and and these guys are just they're so smart the way they they talk they don't speak in in coach speak and cliches a lot they really have great Insight that they're willing to share and um I I do I like the Burks pick a lot I think I think he could be very quickly DC in this league I think it speaks to Zack Taylor I think he's done a wonderful job of cultivating this coaching staff and like grooming coaches to eventually take jobs elsewhere and it's and we talked about this when when Brian kellahan got a job it speaks to the to the coaching staff and it's good for the coaching staff you want guys to get promotions you want guys to have that growth mindset and I would not be surprised if a couple of these younger coaches are in that mix for for promotions next season uh let's take I will say real quick I think that those was one of the things that Marvin Lewis did really well too that um you know he made all those guys available and then you see it with with Mike Zimmer and Hugh Jackson and and Jay Gruden and they those guys went on and got head coaching jobs came from here and um I I just it's it's kind of been the part of it goes back to Bengals ownership and the media relations department about you know wanting to do that but part of it goes to the head coach too the head coach could shut those kind of things down and a lot of them do you're not allowed to to talk to the assistant coaches anytime you want there might be a schedule where everybody gets them at once but it's it's a free-for-all with with the Bengals media you have to request it in advance but you really any day that you want you can ask to talk to an assistant coach and probably nine and a half times out of a ten they will grant that interview let's take one more look towards next off season if we look towards the 2025 NF draft what position do you think the Bengals are most likely to take in round one we don't we don't know where that pick will fall hopefully for Bengals fans it's it's later in round one what position do you think the Bengals would use that round one pick on Jay Well everybody's gonna be big mad if I say anything but 32 but I I can't predict 32 I um I'm gonna say 26 which you know if you're doing the quick math in your head that's that's a loss in the divisional round I know that's not going to make a lot of people happy but uh um I I just uh I just until we see the Run game look better until we see the defense until we see the run defense yes we expect all that stuff to be better but until we actually see it happening in front of our eyes I just think it's too optimistic to expect them just to be right back in in an AFC Championship Game this year so um I'm gonna I'm going to go with 26 and an unfortunate loss in the divisional round okay I'm making I'm I'm now realizing I didn't make this question clear enough because I was thinking more of like what what position on the field okay well forget that everybody maybe I do say 32 no I like I like that too here I'm gonna give you mine I think mine will be I I think they'll take an edge rusher I I think that you've got Sam hubard coming near the end of his contract Trey Hendrickson's had his contract troubles with the Bengals miles Murphy still don't know what he's going to be he's going to be missing the first couple games this season Joseph o is going to be a free agent cam sample injured free agent I know they just took miles Murphy two years ago but I think that's a position they're going to have to restock and and I think there are other positions the Bengals love to spend first round picks on that that could be in the mix but I think if we're looking at it right now I I think they'll want to add another first round Edge rusher to the mix yeah I mean it's it's one of the two three Premier premium positions in the league and you're just not going to be able to afford it in free agency you're going to have to go get those guys early in the draft and um I i' I'd frankly be surprised if it's any other position besides that um maybe wide receiver if you know Higgins leaves and doesn't develop the way they expected but I I you know sitting here right now and expecting Burton to at least make some sort of improvement and at Chase deel to get done before yeah well even if it doesn't get done before next year's draft they know it's going to get done so I go edge rusher first and wide receiver second and then after that I mean it's probably 90% that's G be one of those two I like maybe Corner maybe Corner depending on how Dax Hill plays and you know if Cam Taylor BR how he played Maybe and Just because the Bengals I love taking first round corners but but I would say yeah Edge and receiver were the two I I was kind of locked in on as well um okay let let's get into our our statistical and record kind of predictions here for the Bengals first one we're going to do is final dvo rank dvoa rank on offense and defense so if you're not familiar with dvoa it's ftn fantasy it's Aaron Shotz who we had on our show a few weeks ago it's it's just a good Advanced under the under the hood uh metric to look at offense and defense production versus The League average um Bengals were 11th in offensive dvo dvoa in 2023 which is still impressive when you look back at how the Bengals were playing without Joe burrow I have them doing better obviously this season I have them at six in offensive dvoa you know I think there's a lot of good offenses we we've done our offensive rankings here at pfn there's there's a lot of impressive offenses and quarterbacks but I just love all the pieces the Bengals have together I love what they did this off season and if Joe burough stays healthy I don't see any reason they won't be a top 10 unit and six just feels right to me I'm right there with you I went five I just feels like top five offense and yeah um I could see them being even a little higher but I go back to I think they're going to be in the lead in a lot of these games in the fourth quarter and and maybe it becomes more of a grind out the clock you know playing smarter football instead of constantly constantly being in that attack mode um so I I I do i' I'd be stun you know barring major injury I I think this is the top five offense a team and I I went right on the right at the limit there at five defense they were 23rd last season which is actually like better than you might think given how many big plays the Bengals gave up and um where do you have them on defense do you have them improving next season Yeah by quite a bit I'm a cut in half basically I have them as a top 12 I couldn't quite go top 10 um but yeah I've got them at number 12 and I think anybody would be thrilled with that to to have a a number five dvoa offense and a number 12 dbaa defense that's that's going to spell great success yeah I put him at 16 like right in the middle it's defensive performance I feel like you can really improve year-over year offense I I feel like it's pretty sticky year to year but defense there there can be some huge swings in performance and you know we all Bengals fans know if they can clean up the explosive play rate clean up the communication in the back end get a little more pressure I I do think that they'll kind of just naturally regress back to the middle of the of the pack and if you know Big Lou can do his scheming that he usually does on Sundays and finally gets that veteran Savvy in the back end I do think that there's a chance that maybe this is a surp a surprise top 10 unit and gets back to where they've been in the past and that wouldn't totally surprise me final record for the Bengals this is the big one Jay what what do you have I we we did our schedule prediction was it three months ago at this point game by game predictions what do you have as the Bengals final 2024 regular season record yeah I'm sticking to what I had back then I'm gonna go 11 and six I I I think you have to the AFC North is so good that you almost have to kind of stick with the Baseline of three and three this team was 0 and five in games that mattered last year against the the conference that's you can't do that again I don't think they'll do that again but I think it's too much to ask for six and0 five- one maybe four- two Pittsburgh could really fall off this year but even in bad years the Bengals just you typically find a way to split with Pittsburgh if not get swept so uh you go three and three in the division then you're talking about eight and three in the other games which seems fair um so it's just I I really do think they have a shot to to get higher Vegas has it at 10 and a half they're usually pretty dead on I think 11 and six seems like a fair Mark for them to hit I'm right there with you I had 11 and six when we did our season predictions and I'm I'm going to stick with that too um I do think that's going to be enough for them to win the AFC North this season I I think that even though it's a very tough Division I feel like all four teams will kind of fight each other and they'll all be in the mix till the end but I but I think that if I'm looking at these four teams I still have the Bengals number one I think Baltimore lost enough this offseason and including defensive coordinator Mike McDonald and some key pieces on that defense I I Cleveland I just have too many worries about deshun Watson for as much as I love the rest of the roster I just can't feel confident about them with the Shawn under Center and it's a similar situation in Pittsburgh where you like most of that roster even if you like what new play caller Arthur Smith is going to do it's Russell Wilson and Justin fields and neither one of them necessarily took that starting quarterback job by the horn that feels like Russell kind of won it by default it's really hard if you got dive into their numbers and how they've played over the couple Seasons to get excited about how that offense is going to look it really is so for me I think if I'm looking at how this AFC North is going to play out I've got it Cincinnati as the is the first place team Baltimore in second Cleveland in third and Pittsburgh in fourth so where do you have you what seed one through four among the division winners are you gonna put him at okay so if I'm doing the AFC playoff seating I I still have Kansas City number one I mean I feel like you can't pick against homes I'm going to go with CJ Str and the Texans number two I have the Bengals and number three seed so definitely right there in the mix with the other Elite AFC teams I've got Buffalo at number four and then my Wild Card teams I've got Baltimore at number five Colts at six Jets at seven so I'm leaving the the Dolphins out I'm leaving the Jaguars out I'm leaving the Browns out Steelers sorry Steelers fans um but that's the seven who I who I see and I you know I I think the Dolphins could be right there in the mix obviously too there are other teams that could be in the mix but those are the seven that I have right now who do you have yeah I I had Casey one Buffalo too I've got the I've got the the Ravens went in the division so that they're the three and uh Houston is the four I I I can see them they're like kind everybody's darling this year they are it's hard to match those expectations sometimes um but I do think they have enough to win the division then I had Miami is a number five wild card then the Bengals at six um and then I've got Jack Ville I do I I think that that that's a team that doesn't have a that rough of a schedule and it it's particularly hard early so if they can get through the early part it frees up pretty nicely for them they 14th easiest schedule overall I just think you Trevor Lawrence seems like he's on the come good coaching uh they feel poised to to maybe even challenge Houston for for that conference or for that division title um and then the one thing I'll say about the Bengals and you know you've got to win the division I've got him as a wild card they go to Kansas City and win in week two all bets are off I'm flipping it because there's a great shot at them being four and0 uh going into the Baltimore game and you know you you get that kind of momentum early you could really see this thing snowball and this just being an Unstoppable force and um and then you know four and0 rolling into Baltimore you you figure out a way to beat them at home and you're five and0 you already got a one and0 mark in the division um it's it's there for him but until you see it I I've got to go 116 wild card so where do you have the Bengals finishing in the playoffs I I debated whether we even wanted to talk about this because the playoffs are such a crapshoot right think playoffs like my I'll stand by my my regular season predictions more than I will my playoff predictions once once the it finally comes in but it I think it is fair to to say where we think they're going to finish in the postseason yeah so I mean I've got him at six which means a wild card game at Baltimore and I've got him winning that one you beat that more than likely Jacksonville's going to fall so that means the Bengals are the lowest remaining seed and then it's it's a divisional round trip to Kansas City and I just I I can't pick them in that game even though they they've won in Kansas City before and obviously a huge game in the AFC Championship game so that's what I've got a road another road win um in in the Wild Card round and then losing to Kansas City in the divisional round I've got them advancing to the AFC title game against the Texans and and losing to the Texans I just CJ stra man he's just he's just so good it's it's a maing watching some of his some of his tape from last year and just I really think he set up for like a 50 touchdown season that I I think it's gonna get be tough for the rest of the conference to get past Houston they're they're kind of the team that I'm going with this year I as much as I would love to see the Bengals obviously advance to the northern Super Bowl I I do think that might come up just a bit short but anything can happen in the playoffs right that's why we love the playoffs anything can happen um let's do one more that's not Bengals related we want to give you a surprise Super Bowl team I looked at the odds and I want to look at teams who are plus 4,000 are better on Vegas Insider my my pick for this and I think this is the team that that I am is my Darkhorse favorite throughout the NFL this year Seattle Seahawks I I just love what they're doing this offseason they hired Mike McDonald from Baltimore I think they have so many good defensive pieces with the Von weather spoon they drafted Byron Murphy this year I think that defense is going to be so underrated and then on offense you bring in Ryan grub from Washington Washington Huskies who took him then the national championship with Michael penck an amazing set of wide receivers you bring that offense to Seattle with Gino Smith and those receivers they they are my Darkhorse team this year in terms of one team that's really far down the odds that could get to the Super Bowl I know it's not Bengals related but if we're tossing out one Super Bowl Darkhorse that is my selection yeah I mean my Dark Horse I didn't even pick him to make the playoffs ahead of this but I I I I can see it happening as the Chargers I mean all Mar all does is win and it's not like he's taking over a team just void of talent I mean he's got an incredible talent in Justin Herbert they've got dudes on defense um I do I think he can turn that thing around in a hurry and they're in a division where yeah the Chiefs are there but you know I could see him sweeping the the Raiders and the Broncos and and that four wins right off the bat there and who knows even the Chiefs could be due for a fall they you just can't keep having Patrick be Superman all the time and Kelsey's getting older and it's not a wide receiver core that Wows you worthy might be something special but he is a rookie so I I I could I could see the Chargers really being a a surprise team this year and and making some hey and you get them in the playoffs like I said a coach like Harbaugh who knows how to win big games can go a long way no I agree I mean you've got head coach figured out you've got quarterback figured out pretty solid offensive line I mean that's three strong pieces Jim Harbaugh has just had instant success like everywhere he goes he's incredibly hard to bet against so even if you don't like the receivers you don't like the secondary in Los Angeles it really is hard to bet against Jim Harbaugh so I love that pick too that is our Bengals season preview I hope you'll stick around we're going to bring in Dakota Randle who is our pfn Patriots reporter he does a great job covering New England got a lot of questions for him you know they've got a rookie quarterback situation who's obviously not going to play in Drake Mage and Kobe pretta is going to be starting it's an interesting opponent I'll say for week one I think going in and playing against New England Patriots in their first first game post bill bellich I think it's going to be a very interesting game and interesting conversation so I hope you stick around for that we'll bring that right up next with Dakota Randall joining us now is pro football Network's Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall Dakota thank you so much for joining the show today are you as ready for week one as we are uh yeah thanks guys for having me um I'm I'm kind of a weird football or a football fan in that uh I I'm not like sitting here like counting down the hours to the start of the football season I very much cling on to summer for dear life and would like to stay on the beach as long as possible and keep putting off the the long hours of the football season but you know a part of me absolutely is is ready to get going so we actually have you know real football to talk about I can't be on the beach because Jamar Chase could sign at any minute so I might as well just sit at my computer and get ready for the season to start yeah well you could bring the lot but it would potentially overheat so you can get those Twitter notifications anywhere you can get those on the beach right let's talk about let's talk about week one a little bit I mean it's I think it's safe to say there's a pretty big Talent gap between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots going into week one but I think this is still a fascinating game from from a number of angles I think what we have to start with is the Patriots quarterback situation geran Mayo announced that jacobe brassett is going to be the starter for the Patriots in week one over Drake May who was a number three overall pick Dakota you watched both of these quarterbacks All Summer Long through all the preseason you've seen every rep they've taken why did the Patriots go with Jobe Bret over Drake May is brassette giving the Patriots something that Drake May isn't right now or is it was it just veteran deference yeah it's it's tough first of all I'm not at all surprised that it was jacobe brasset um I don't think this ever was truly a quarterback competition I know jod Mayo acted like it was and said things that made the public feel like it was uh but it was a very different story on the practice field where Drake May really never repped with the starters he saw very few meaningful reps with the starters and those were all towards the end of Camp um I think maybe maybe the rhetoric that ramped up towards the end from Mayo himself was maybe to you know kind of motivate Dre make him Drake make him think he could win the job and see how he'd respond and to his credit he did resp respond well he played the best that he did all summer but uh I think you know this was always going to beobe brette from day one uh I think they they always plan on him being the starter and giving Drake May a longer development especially after watching what happened with M Jones um I mean the reasons for that are are pretty simple I mean number one Drake may still is very raw and has a lot of things to work on I mean this is a guy who operated his entire college career which was a short college career out of shotgun never played uh under Center never call plays out of the Huddle he's still very raw in those areas his footwork issues that everybody talks about especially popup when he's operating under Center that could be a bad combination when you have a bad offensive line of course and so you know I think he has those things to work on and jacobe brette he just he has firsthand experience in Alex Van pelts West Coast offense um and I think he has more Tools in his toolbox to help protect himself uh if the offensive line is having having issues and adjusting protections and all those sort of things uh to sort of manage the game if things get out of hand up front whereas Drake May doesn't have those tools in his toolbox yet and if you know and if he does start facing Relentless pressure you know that's how you start regressing and losing all the strides you'd made and footwork and and all the other things that he needs to work on from a fundamental level so I just don't think he's ready to play quite yet and I I think jacobe bretas is the most logical choice and he was always going to be the week one starter yeah based on that answer I think he kind of answered what my next question was going to be was how how long or how short is the leash on brisette I could you envision any scenario where he plays poorly enough against the Bengals to get pulled it doesn't sound like that's probably the case so maybe the the followup before you even give the initial answer would be you where does that leash what you know at what point in the season could you see them turning to May yeah I think as far as this game um the only way I see Drake Drake May playing is um in garbage time one way or the other um you know if it's so bad and the game's out of hand um and they just pulled Kobe Brett for the fourth quarter and just let give Dr May some exposure just have him hand the ball off a bunch and practice in a real game environment um and as far as in season you know that I think the timeline certainly moved up from where it was like if you asked me that question three weeks ago I would have leaned toward him not playing until after the week 14 by or potentially sitting down the entire season I still think both of those options are on the table but he was that much better over the last few weeks where now you know I don't think he plays in the first four I don't think they want to put him up against the Jets in Prime Time on the road against that defense I don't think they want to put him up up against the San Francisco 49ers defense uh those are recipes for disaster but the schedule softens a little bit after that you get the Dolphins twice at least from a defensive standpoint you get the Dolphins twice you get the Titans um some other Rel I think the Jaguars are in there so good teams but not the ners right um and so I think though that's the spot where maybe you know we get into October um if Bret's playing very poorly and there just the season's going nowhere U maybe they turn to Drake May then but I still think it depends how things look on the offensive line it would have to have stabilized by that point for him to be put in there yeah the Patriots have the most difficult schedule in the league by pro football network strength of schedule metric so it's it kind of gives an interesting situation right like is is this offense going to be so bad that the calls for Drake May what they won't be able to deny putting him in there or is this slate so difficult that geran Mayo doesn't want to put Drake May out there that the weapons the offensive line are so bad that he's trying to protect protect May and almost use jacobe as just a way to get through the year and not let Drake get in there and kind of I don't want to say get ruined but you know take take the hits play this awful defense with a bad Supporting Cast and where does that leave him at the end of the year well I mean and that kind of gets you know we'll eventually get into more about my feelings on the Patriots and whether they are as bad as everyone thinks they are but uh I've said this throughout the offseason I don't think the schedule is quite as tough as as all the rankings would lead you to believe it is on paper sure but uh you know the games aren't played on paper and I think timing is a huge part of every NFL schedule you know Logistics when you're getting a team um and I think a lot of those things did break in the Patriots favor um certainly the the opponents are tough but you know as far as the Bengals I would much rather get them in week one uh than the back half of the Season uh ditto for the Jets with Aaron roders 40 years old coming off at torn Achilles um you know a team that I still just don't trust at all um how do they are they really firing on all cylinders in week three probably not let alone that it's a Thursday night game which typic in a divisional match up at that a lot of those times those games are kind of close and ugly um and then it kind of comes down to what you believe in or what you think about the bills who I'm not as high on as some other people um you know they get the Colts at home who again I I need to see more from Anthony Richardson there's just a lot of sort of wild card games for the Patriots that I don't think uh they certainly could end up being as difficult as they are on paper but I could also see it going the other way um and a lot of those games are also at home so uh I don't think the schedule's quite that tough but certainly on paper by opponents it it does look daunting so so this New England offense you know what should Bengals fans be expecting what what is this offensive scheme going to look like when they come in here Sunday because we know brassette doesn't often put the ball in Jeopardy is this going to be a game managing situation they're going to you know be a a run first team that you just you hardly see anymore or what what should Bengal fans be looking for on Sunday yeah um certainly it's it's not going to be exciting but I do think it could be more you know the bar is low but more exciting than what we saw the last couple years from Patriots offenses um because I actually very low very low as low as it can get and yeah and the bar again and this bar to is low but from a talent perspective I think there's more Talent on offense than there's been arguably at any point post Tom Brady the only one that would be in that conversation is 2021 um but I think in hindsight that was not a very good offensive staff or Personnel either um so I think as far as scheme I mean it's it's Alex Vamp pelt's offshoot of the West Coast offense um you know it's it's very timing passing oriented quick passes lot of running I mean it's going to be a lot of rre Stevenson a ton of Antonio Gibson I mean that's one thing I'm very confident in for the Patriots this year is that uh if he stays healthy Antonio Gibson's going to be very busy he definitely gives them their best passing down back since James White blew out his hip um I think he's going to get a lot of work um it's a lot of outside Zone running and a lot of play action off of those looks so it's going to be a lot of again outside Zone runs and then you know they take their their shots uh running play action off of that um and they have but they have some interesting receivers who could make allow them to hit on those plays more than they have the last couple years uh both rookies especially Jaylen pul I think is going to play a lot and be an immediate contributor Javon Baker is more Boomer bust he looks exactly like the Patriots version of Gabe Davis um and then you know they have I think their best tight end room in a while with Hunter Henry still just kind of being Hunter Henry which is a good tight end and Austin Hooper um I think is a better option for them or a better fit for them than jnu Smith ever was not saying he's a better player but he's a better fit so I don't be surprised if the Patriots if they find success running the ball and I mean Jay you could speak more to the Bengals run defense than I I could but if the Patriots you know don't take a lot of sacks don't commit a bunch of penalties and they have success on early Downs uh I wouldn't be S you know don't be surprised Bengals fans if they move the ball more and score a few more points than you might expect yeah I mean run defense is the big question for this team and the guy they drafted to to kind of put the finger in the Dyke is is injured an uninjured reserve and McKinley jacks so it is it's it's something where that that could really shrink the game and make it interesting if they have success the Bengals just got gashed last year against the Run everybody thinks about all the explosive plays they gave up on offense but stopping the Run was a big reason they were 0 of five in the division so I could definitely see that giving them problems yeah there a couple interesting not to cut you off Dallas but again that comes down that just comes down too also to what version of the Patriots offensive line are we getting um and that's really the biggest variable here is have they corrected everything they needed to correct over the last two weeks and if so I I think they got a shot in this game if they haven't they won't go very far right to I I want to get in the offensive line with you next I do want to say Alex Bella you know connections to the Bengals he was the quarterback's coach here a little bit I I am I wrong he has not called offensive play since I think like 2009 right with the bills I think that was the last time so it's it's such a mystery box I think is is it gonna look like what Alex vanel was doing with Cleveland last year under Kevin stansky is going to be you know it it is still a little bit of a mystery box even though we do kind of have a sample of what it might look like and I I is it I think the Patriots weapons kind of remind me of what Joe burrow had at the beginning of his career right ra Andre is a little bit of a Joe Mixon type he can do everything Demario Douglas is kind of like a Tyler Boyd weapon in the slot Jaylen pul could maybe be like the T Higgins rookie year performance that that Joe burrow got I I'm kind of with you that I think that this is an interesting group of weapons whether they're going to all mesh together in week one against the Bengals is is up in the air but it's it's the the talent increase the Baseline Talent increase from where they've been last year the year before I think you're absolutely right is it's just amazing where they are compared to last year yeah absolutely I mean you know again for the Patriots I think the floor is as low as basically everybody's been saying um but I think the ceiling is is certainly higher than a lot realiz and of course I mean that's you know why would people believe that the offense could be could exceed expectations right I me the last times we've seen them they've been catastrophically bad uh and it's not like everybody was watching them throughout the summer right and you're putting they're putting a lot of trust in a lot of rookies a lot of young players really a lot of inexperience on both sides of the ball um but I the talent has has absolutely increased um you know and as far as the offensive line that you were getting to you know I think I think the Patriots have the bones of a a good above average offensive line um the problem is you know they one the group that I think they want to roll with the five the five man lineup hasn't had a lot of time together because of either injuries or they were just tinkering with lineups too often throughout the summer they didn't really settle on the group that they should have settled on early until really like the last week of the preseason so are they going to be able to solve those issues over the final two weeks before week one I would say maybe or yes if it was Dante scaria coaching but uh uh it's not him it's Scott Peters who I think it looked like he was doing a good job this summer but we just don't know right so that's you're making a guess if you say that he's going to be able to make those Corrections we just don't know but I think you know if you're a Patriots fan you feel good about David Andrews at Center I still think he's one of the best in the game even though he he's probably lost a step uh you feel good about Mike and wenu whether whether he's at Right Guard or right tackle you feel good about City so he's at least starting caliber he's hurt right now we don't know if he's going to play in this game that could be a big deal um but he's starting caliber and then leaden Robinson the rookie fourth rounder I mean you could argue he was their best offensive lineman all summer um and I think he's gonna he's gonna start right away and I think he's going to be he has a chance to be really good and then at right tackle whether it's anenu whether it's uh chuk aor 4 who um played well at right tackle when he played last season he's not much of a left tackle whether it's those two or the rookie third rounder Kaden Wallace like I think you can feel good that right tackle is going to figure itself out um and so if they stabilize at those four spots you know you can manage a hole at left tackle in multiple ways um what you can't manage is when you're bad at both tackles or if you're also bad in the middle so again we're just going to have to see what it looks like in week one but it you know we would be guessing if we said you know it's going to have stabilized by then because we just don't know that yeah Bengals fans know all about the no donkeys approach on the offensive line you just you cannot have that one big hole because a team will find it and they will exploit it um I you know I guess the best friend of this offense this year is going to be the defense and the defense was great last year um you do you see Improvement this year and and where does the pressure come from this year with with judon gone because I remember the the Senior Bowl when the Bengals coached it uch was the I believe he was Defensive MVP but he was all over the field in that it was just a guy that I didn't really know that much about and he just stood out um is is he the guy that's going to get a lot of the the the pressure this year with with judon gone so um I would say first of all of the for the Patriots the bigger loss isn't Matthew judon it's definitely Christian barmore um I I think or just because you know we can argue which one's the better player I'd probably lean barmore but regardless it's just they're more equipped to withstand the loss of judon than they are barmore they don't really have anybody who can replace him um you know devvon Goa is a good run Defender um Daniel aqual is a good sub rusher um but Christian barmore is the total package right we've seen what some of the upper echelon defensive tackles can do to a game um and he had that ability and so without him you know he was diagnosed with blood clots we don't know if he's going to play uh any point this season so that's a huge loss for them but as far as just directly replacing judah's uh production I think that's going to come from Keon white um sometimes he plays with his hand in the dirt sometimes he stands up but regardless uh he was probably their best player throughout training camp um he was excellent last summer too um and then like any rookie in a bill bich defense it took a while for him to see increased snaps um it's not uncommon for you know I think people to sort of forget about uh Patriots rookie Defenders uh because they often don't play as rookies it's it's very rare and so they kind of get overlooked um but he's someone who came on as the season uh you know progressing towards the end of the year when nobody was watching them uh and he's he's excellent during he was excellent in practice throughout the summer um and so I think he's he's their top breakout star this year like that's the guy who I think the reason they were comfortable trading Matthew judon is because I think he can replace maybe not 16 sacks um but he has that in him eventually uh as a player and then you know I think the other one for them is Anthony Jennings who he doesn't have a lot of pass rushing upside but he probably sets the best Edge on the team uh and he sees a ton of snaps because of that he's excellent against the Run he's very physical so he's gonna play a lot and so for Josh Huch you mentioned uh he's a fascinating player because two years ago he broke out and had I think 12 sacks um and last year went down to like three he also kind of battled injuries a little bit but really the story for him is he just hasn't been on the field much it's been just solely uh in in on like third down and passing scenarios that they put him in there question is is was that a bill belich thing um or is Dro May gonna continue that or is D May gonna play Josh more often um he also battled an injury a little bit during the summer but he's I think he's healthy now um so if they unleash joshu so to speak uh and let him play as much as he did two years ago he could see huge sack totals but it I have no idea if he's gonna play as much as he did then because he just hasn't in a while who are you most excited to watch on this roster if we TR take Drake May out of the equation because I think he's probably the easiest answer is there a guy on this roster that you just can't wait to see what they do this year they've got pulk and Baker the young wide receivers you mentioned Keon white who man I remember watching him last preseason like you mentioned just an absolute exhibition season Superstar I remember him just destroying offensive tackles in the Run game last year Christian Gonzalez was outstanding in four games last year he's back from injury is there one of these young guys that like you're just you cannot wait to see what they produce in 2024 yeah I'm I think Jaylen pul is the player right um and he's just a huge Domino for them um if he if they hit on that pick I don't think it wipes out the need for a a number one receiver um but it it certainly makes you feel a lot better about where they are from an offensive Personnel standpoint I think I I've kind of liken him to a a souped up to Kobe Meyers uh he's same kind of player runs similar routes he's very smart very good hands um but he's he's a little bit faster a little bit bigger just a little more upside um and he I mean he was seeing starters reps by the end of Camp um I think he's really good I think he's going to be a really good player for them he's the one that I go with the other one is is Javon Baker the fourth round pick he definitely made the splashiest plays during the season but as the summer progressed drops were an issue um route running was an issue he had the thing on Sunday where he went on Instagram live and started like cussing out a cop who gave him a ticket he's a bit of a a wild card off the field so like who knows with him they've already they said they punished him they didn't say we don't know what that punishment is he is going to play um so I mean there's a chance that Javon Baker all of a sudden shows up and and is like their big play option um but I don't know if he's going to see the field so I feel better pulk is the one that I'm excited to watch and that I feel like you know we're going to be rewarded with actually producing how fast was the speeding ticket I don't know no yeah he said he was uh he was issued a ticket after dropping somebody off at the airport uh and then he went on Instagram and was like t a lot of cussing and a lot of saying like you know I don't you work for me I don't work for you I I know I can I'm a lot faster than you I can outrun you this kind of stuff um just like calling out Mass police Massachusetts police by name like it was it wasn't great not smart no and this is a guy who you know when he got drafted he made the comment where we were like you know what kind of player are the Patriots getting and he was like I make people in wheelchairs stand up which it is what it is as a comment I mean I think it's funny but I could see why some people didn't like it but then he also went on Instagram and was barking about how there's no way that there are 10 receivers or however many receivers were drafted ahead of him there's no way those guys are better than him of course one of those guys is Jaylen pulk right soal shot right and so there's a little bit of a and he had character concerns entering the draft there's concern about his family so he's one of those guys right that you got to kind of watch and see how it goes but the talent's there so he could be a lot of fun to watch if he plays yeah sounds like self-awareness is an issue um so so this game on on Sunday what you said with the offense that the defense what how do you see this upset being pulled if it is if if the Patriots can somehow come into Cincinnati and win as a nine-point underdog how does this play out so I think first of all the reason why I'm ultimately and I've I've thought about picking the Patriots all summer uh you know I've I've wanted to pull the trigger just because not be not because I think that highly of the Patriots or that low of the Bengals um I do you know I know they've had slow starts we've talked about this you know away from the podcast they've started slowly like under under Zack Taylor and just in general week one's a great time for upsets I mean the Patriots nobody gave them a shot against the Eagles last year they should have won that game they blew it in the last minute um obviously different coaching staff right now but um a lot of teams aren't ready to go anymore in week one so you know I I I think the Patriots could have a shot there but the reason I won't pick them is because I'd be assuming too much to say that they're not going to make a bunch bunch of penalties on the offensive line uh I don't know if gerod May is ready to manage a game at this level like I just don't know we haven't seen it so that's too much of a guess and then if the Patriots are going to win it's going to have to be winning on the margins right things like special teams where they've been really bad the last few years and they have a new coordinator Jeremy Springer like is he how good is he is he gonna have these guys in in a position to make one of those plays that could swing the game I just don't know because we haven't seen it but if they are going to pull off the upset you know I think it's because you know number one Jobe brette doesn't make a catastrophic mistake right uh the Patriots were in a lot of games last year uh as for as bad as they were they were in a lot of games and a lot of those games were blown by missing a game-winning field goal or M Jones just imploding in the Red Zone um you know if you inject a little stability at quarterback you know they probably win a few of those games and so you know I think brette gives them a chance maybe if this game is close um you know I think again I think the Patriots have better weapons than they have in a while um I mean it's still Advantage Bengals defense of course um but I still think the Patriots going to be able to move the ball a bit uh especially if they can run as we were talking about earlier and set up the play action shots you know I think that's a recipe for success but especially on defense and why I I do give them a shot in this game is and I know I'm sure you guys you know have been talking about the Jamar Chase thing uh if he doesn't play or if he just kind of fake plays right where he's he's out there but he's not really seeing a ton of snaps um you know that obviously makes things a lot easier for the Patriots right you either I mean Bill belich probably would have just doubled T Higgins and let Christian Gonzalez run around I don't know how Mayo will do it but regardless between Christian Gonzalez or the combination of Jonathan Jones in the safety they could probably manage T Higgins I don't think they're afraid at all of Mike giki uh I don't think anybody in that building was sad to see mik aiki go um they and the Patriots best position group is safety so I think they're equipped to handle him um you know I think they're good enough up front defending the Run even without barmore that they should be okay so I think you know I think they have a chance to keep the score low on defense they have a good defense even without judon and barmore um and I think they match up pretty well if Chase isn't full go Jamar Chase in this game if he is that changes the math obviously um but I think they have a chance to stay in the game and then if they win it's because you know they just made a couple plays in crunch time and didn't make the catastrophic turnover that they've made too often the last years all right so having said all that let's get your final score prediction for for week one let's let's see how you think this game is going to play out and then also where do you see the Patriots finishing this season record-wise and within the division do you do you think they'll overcome their I think what are they four and a half is that their win total do you think they'll be above that or where do you think they'll be in the division um but give us your week one score and where do you think they'll be in the AFC East uh score I'll go 2118 Bengals I do think it's going to be a close game I would be surprised urised if it if it gets away from the Patriots that badly if it does it will be because of penalties and sacks um so 2118 Bengals as for the Patriots record you know before they lost judon and barmore I had them at seven wins with uh you know if I was trending into bold prediction territory I had them maybe getting to eight or nine just because stuff happens in the NFL that doesn't mean they are an eight or nine win team that means things happen big injuries happen teams puke on themselves you know on in random weeks uh but with those two guys I definitely you know I think six wins um I do think this team is better than people realize um lot of question marks lot of variables they're going to need a few of those variables to go their way um but you know I think I think some of them will go their way because I think the talent's Better Than People realize and I also just think we always just as a population always underestimate the variable of In-House players taking another step forward and I think the Patriots have a lot of those candidates on the roster already from Keon white from Christian Gonzalez to a joshu if he returns to who he was before um a lot of these kind of guys all over the place um where if they sort of deliver on that um you know the Patriots could be a lot better than people realize but still a lot of that was predicated on them having an elite defense without judon and barmore that's going to be tough so I think six wins last in the afcs it makes sense their their defense does give them such a high floor but losing two of their best players is obviously going to have an impact uh Dakota thank you so much for joining us and giving us this preview of the Patriots we're all excited for this week one game we're excited for football to be back make sure you're reading all of Dakota's Patriots coverage at pfn all of Jay's coverage at pfn uh everyone enjoy week one enjoy football being officially back we'll be back NE back next week to recap all of week one action and go over this game so until then I'll talk to you next week [Music] oh [Music]