CINCINNATI -- On paper, everything seemed to align for the Cincinnati Bengals to start the season with a victory. Ja'Marr Chase was playing. Joe Burrow was coming off a full training camp. And Cincinnati was a heavy favorite over a franchise in the midst of a transition.
But none of that mattered.
Cincinnati lost to the New England Patriots, 16-10, in one of the more improbable season-opening upsets in recent years. The Bengals closed as 7.5-point favorites over a New England team that only won four games last season and was making its debut under new coach Jerod Mayo.