Patriots Sunday: Happy Opening Day 2024 New England!

Today, the 2024 NFL season truly begins for the New England Patriots. It is the first game of the season and the first game of the post-Belichick Era (with all due respect to Brian) for the Patriots. Jerod Mayo replaces Bill Belichick as head coach. Jacoby Brissett starts for New England for the first time since Oct. 2, 2016. Only three of his teammates from that squad are still playing for the Patriots: David Andrews, Joe Cardona, and Jonathan Jones.

Expectations are low for this season’s Patriots squad. I was accused of being too generous by predicting they would finish 6-11 in my 2024 NFL Preview. The beauty of opening day is that anything is still possible. Is it likely that the New England Patriots are going to be Super Bowl 59 champions at the season’s end? No, but it’s possible today. That’s why they play the games!

Leading up to game time, Patriots Football Now will post my predictions for the 2024 New England Patriots awards and a preview of today’s Patriots-Bengals game. Any breaking news (inactive report, etc) will be covered here as well. The long journey from falling out of contention in 2023 to kicking off the 2024 season all led to today. What will happen? We’ll know soon enough. On to Cincinnati!

Also in Patriots Sunday:

Patriots Fact/Trivia of the Day

Former New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri has the record for most Week 1 games played in NFL history (24).

Four players are tied for the active lead (16): DL Calais Campbell (Dolphins), TE Marcedes Lewis (Bears), PK Matt Prater (Cardinals), and QB Aaron Rodgers (Jets).

Tom Brady holds the Patriots franchise record (17).

Post of the Day

Some opening week optimism from our pals, The Camera Guys:

A rainbow appears in Philadelphia! (Connecting thru here to Cincy). Perhaps a Patriots win at the end of it? pic.twitter.com/SRL32Syvu7

— The Camera Guys (@NBCSCameraGuys) September 7, 2024

Patriots Coverage From Patriots Football Now

Week 1 Injury Report: Peppers Questionable, Patriots Elevate Two – Safety Jabrill Peppers was added to the injury report on Saturday. He is one of four Patriots questionable to play against Cincinnati. Two players received practice squad elevations. Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase is reportedly ill.

Patriots and Bengals Head-to-Head History – The franchises have met 27 times. See the results of their first meeting, the most recent game, and one of the most memorable. Which players lead the series in statistical categories? Find out.

NFL Players Who Played for the Bengals and Patriots – The list stands at 46 heading into Week 1. Three new players could join the club in Week 1. Two players played 40+ games for both franchises. Three original Bengals also played for the Patriots. Find out which former Bengals player is responsible for Tom Brady wearing No. 12.

NFL Coverage From Patriots Football Now

2024 NFL Predictions: Standings, Playoffs, and Super Bowl Picks – There are 272 regular season games to play before the playoffs arrive. Here is a preseason stab at the records of all 32 franchises, the playoff outcomes, and the Super Bowl 59 matchup. Can the Kansas City Chiefs three-peat?

NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 1: Chiefs Start on Top – Kansas City starts at No. 1. Carolina begins at No. 32. Find out how the other 30 NFL franchises fill out the spots in the middle entering the 2024 season.

Predictions for NFL Honors: Award Winners and HOF Class of 2025 – Picking who will bring hardware from the 2024 NFL season. The only two second-time winners on the forecast are Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. And, trying to foresee the Modern Era Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Patriots Podcasts Worth Watching

A few fun episodes of Patriots-related podcasts that are worth a watch (or listen):

Chauxtalk – New England defensive tackle Davon Godchaux chats with his head coach, Jerod Mayo. It’s a short conversation (9:18) about building a culture in New England and building around key players. Also, some fashion talk, and other topics.

Eye on Foxborough – Patriots reporter Karen Gueregian of MassLive talks to legendary New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. What does he think of the Patriots situation in 2024? And would he consider coming out of retirement again?

Games with Names – Julian Edelman chats with another longtime Patriots coach, former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The game being discussed is the 2014 AFC Divisional Round game between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. As usual, the sidebars and other chats are just as fun and insightful as the actual game recap. Great stuff.