Are Bengals back to being Super Bowl contenders? Charles Davis previews Patriots-Bengals Week 1 showdown |Max Sporty|

The Cincinnati Bengals are typical Super Bowl contenders under Joe Burrow, but those expectations were crippled last season with Burrow’s calf and wrist injuries derailing another deep run. Despite having a winning record, the Bengals missed the playoffs and did not have Burrow for seven games.

Those Super Bowl expectations for the Bengals are back with Burrow healthy, starting this Sunday against the New England Patriots (1 pm ET, CBS). The Patriots rebuild their franchise as the organization prepares for its first game without Bill Belichick as coach since 1999. Jerod Mayo takes over for Belichick while No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will start on the sideline in favor of Jacoby Brissett.

NFL on CBS analyst Charles Davis is the color commentator for this game and previewed the Week 1 matchup with CBS Sports.

Bengal has slowed down over the past couple of seasons. Do you think that will be the case this year?

Davis: “Well, part of the reason they’ve slowed down is that their quarterback isn’t healthy coming in. That’s not the case this year. We’re still waiting to see if Joe Burrow’s wrist from last year holds up, but they’re very sure everything is in good shape.

“Joe Burrow the last two years had an appendectomy two years ago before the Steelers game. He ended up throwing four interceptions and the Bengals still should have won the game! They lost because their long snapper got hurt so they couldn’t kick. field goal and extra point Then last year, Burrow was coming off the calf injury and was limited with practice time. He was weaker than normal and really struggled in the game against Cleveland.

“This year, things are trending better for Cincinnati because Joe Burrow is fully healthy. That’s a whole different ball game than what it’s been the last few years.”

It feels like every year we talk about the Bengals’ offensive line and the changes they make on the offensive line. Is this the best offensive line Joe Burrow has had?

Davis: “It’s really good. Maybe it can be the best, especially if Amarius Mims (first-round pick) goes full speed. He tended to be the starting right tackle before his injury. Now Trent Brown, who was a starter. on Super Bowl teams , will start at right gear for this game He’s a pro and he’s a mammoth.

“Everybody else you would expect to start is in place and ready to go. That’s going to be interesting to watch and we’ll see how that progresses. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Amarius Mims becomes the starter and this becomes the starter. best offensive line which Burrow played behind.”

What do you see out of Jermaine Burton? He got a lot of hype in camp.

Davis: “Talent, talent, talent. We saw it as crazy. I heard a lot of off-field talk, that’s why he went in the third round versus going higher than where he was picked. Some of those things we heard in the preseason that maybe he didn’t is progressing as quickly as people would want But when he’s on the field and he’s locked in — he can flash and make big plays.

“We all know that overused term, take the top off a defense — he can do that. But he can also take any other route you want underneath and turn it into a bigger play. He has to have the trust of the pitcher. him the football He has to earn that trust.

“We’ll find out Sunday exactly where that is and where he is in the pecking order on the team. From what I see on the depth chart, I’m not sure he’s at that level yet — but they’re definitely waiting for them to get there. .”

I guess now it’s unconventional not to start a rookie quarterback in Week 1. Do you think the Patriots are making the right decision with Drake Maye?

Davis: “You know it’s one of those situations where I go back on it. I understand what the Patriots’ reasoning is. They have a veteran in Jacoby Brissett who they hope for his eyes and veteran acumen when he sees different things to come to him, he can get them into the proper blocking scheme, the proper play, and things of that nature that maybe a rookie would struggle with.

“The game is going to be at warp speed early for a rookie. I don’t care how talented you are. Plus, they didn’t run it where Drake Maye got the ball from Day 1 and went through every different situation. He was fighting for the job, so he didn’t received full-time #1 repeats.

“You know who it is? Caleb Williams in Chicago and Jayden Daniels in Washington. It’s a different situation in New England. I’ll tell you this in my experience, a quarterback taken in the top five doesn’t sit very long. . No. I don’t care what the circumstances are.

“I keep hearing that Week 5 would be the place to start. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was before Week 5.”

How do you think Jerod Mayo is different from Bill Belichick?

Davis: “There’s going to be so many different ways, but there’s going to be a lot of ways where Jerod Mayo is proud to be like Bill Belichick. He played for the man, he was his defensive captain, he was an All-Pro for him. put in those defensive meetings and get the game plan before the rest of the team did They call him Jerod Belichick.

“They knew what the affiliation was and the league was and he soaked football from him. So he embraces the things that are great. [about Belichick]but where the difference is he is Jerod Mayo. Maybe some things that Belichick liked, Mayo didn’t, and it’s not absolute. He does different things because that’s what he feels and that’s what he believes.

“This will come down over time, just from little things that we’ve seen. Just from the players and how they react and how the practices have moved from early day to a little bit later. These are just things that he believes in. Never forget, that he’s going to embrace the greatness he got from Bill and make sure that stays with him as well.”

It’s hard to admit that the Patriots won’t be good. What is a successful season for New England?

Davis: “I think Jerod Mayo laid it out, competitive all the time. He expects to win football games. You don’t go in the NFL with that competitive nature and being a head coach in this league and having a winning barometer, that’s not how it works. Do they have the list to do it? How is the schedule formed? What kind of play will they get? That remains to be seen.

“If you look at the last 21 years, at least one team has gone from worst to first and won their division. No one is predicting that from New England. If you have any prediction, the Patriots are fourth in the AFC East. . That’s just the reality of what people believe about this list.

“The reality, we think from the outside looking in, how are they going to play and is that quarterback as a rookie getting a lot of starts and great development. Is he coming back healthy so he can improve this offseason instead of rehabbing.”