3 Biggest Disappointments From Patriots’ Week 1 Win
By Ryan Bunton
On Sunday, the New England Patriots turned heads across the NFL when they kicked off the Jerod Mayo era with a 16-10 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wins last season were few and far in between for New England as they collected only four victories, so beginning 2024 with a win on the road against an AFC contender has to feel good in the Patriots locker room. New England came into the game as the biggest betting underdog in the league in Week 1.
It has been a while since the Patriots roster had a lot to feel good about, and Jerod Mayo received a well-deserved gatorade shower from his players.
New England will be looking back on today's performance and evaluating how they can continue to improve before their home opener in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. After a Week 1 win that should leave both the Patriots and their fans feeling optimistic, here are three disappointments from Week 1 in Cincinnati.
3. Antonio Gibson
New England brought in running back Antonio Gibson on a three-year, $11.25 million deal in free agency after Gibson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Washington Commanders.
Gibson didn't play awful by any stretch in New England's season opener, but his workload was limited as the Patriots utilized Stevenson as their bell cow back. Coming into Sunday's game, it wasn't clear how Gibson and Stevenson would split regular season reps, but clearly Stevenson has the stranglehold on the position.
Stevenson carried the ball 25 times for 120 yards, while Gibson only had seven carries for 18 yards.
Gibson has averaged 45 catches per season over the last three years, so it also seemed viable that he would be involved in the short passing game. Even so, he didn't record a single reception.
It felt like Gibson could follow the mold of Patriots backs in the mold of James White, Rex Burkhead, Shane Vereen, etc. as more versatile, pass-catching receivers, but we definitely didn't see that in Week 1.
Like a player later on this list, it remains to be seen whether this will be a pattern or Gibson's usage is just a product of New England's Bengal-specific gameplan.