Facing Jacoby Brissett As Patriots Starting Quarterback Is Better-Case Scenario for Bengals

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals have known for months what team they will be playing in the season opener.

It wasn’t until today that they found out which quarterback they would be facing.

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo announced that veteran Jacoby Brissett will start the season opener against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium after battling rookie No. 3 pick Drake Maye throughout training camp.

Bengals Have Long History of Struggles vs. QBs in First Start

For many teams, facing an unproven rookie making his first career start would seem the preferred choice.

For the Bengals, Brissett is the better option.

Cincinnati has a long history of losing to quarterbacks making their NFL starting debuts spanning multiple decades and coaching staffs.

That includes Mike White with the New York Jets in 2021, when the Bengals were favored by 11.

And Deshaun Watson with the Houston Texans in 2017 when Cincinnati was a 5-point favorite.

And Shaun Hill with the 49ers in 2007 when the Bengals were favored by 8.5.

And many more.

The Bengals are 1-5 in their last six games against quarterbacks making their NFL starting debut.

They are 4-8 since 2000 and 8-14 in franchise history.

If Drake Maye wins the Patriots starting job, he will be the 23rd QB to make his NFL starting debut against the #Bengals.

The Bengals own just one two-game winning streak vs newbies in franchise history (Johnny Manziel and Jimmy Clausen).

Here's the All-22: pic.twitter.com/vRT6nitDX1

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) August 21, 2024

There’s obviously a wild card element that comes with facing a first-time starter, but other teams don’t struggle the way the Bengals have.

Among their AFC North brethren, they have the worst record by far against first-time starters since the 1970 merger.

• Baltimore Ravens: 9-2-1
• Pittsburgh Steelers: 13-7
• Cleveland Browns: 10-7

Historical argument aside, facing Brissett is a better matchup for the Bengals because of his inability to escape pressure as opposed to the mobile Maye.

Add that to the fact that the Patriots have one of the league’s worst offensive lines, and the Bengals’ defense should be able to put heat on Brissett.

That doesn’t always lead to mistakes with the 31-year-old quarterback.

Since he was drafted in the third round in 2016, Brissett ranks fourth in interception percentage at 1.4.

That’s better than Tom Brady (1.5), Drew Brees (1.5), Joe Burrow (2.0) and 64 other quarterbacks during that time span.

One reason Brissett doesn’t throw many interceptions is that he’s often willing to eat the ball rather than make a risky throw.

In terms of sack percentage, he’s near the bottom of the list since 2016, going down 130 times on only 1,848 attempts (7%).

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Only 15 quarterbacks have been sacked on a more frequent basis.

Burrow is just ahead of Brissett at 6.98%, having been sacked 148 times on 2,121 dropbacks.

Of course, there’s always the chance the Bengals could see both quarterbacks if Brissett struggles early and Mayo, as a rookie head coach, has a quick hook.

The way Bengals head coach Zac Taylor sounded in Thursday’s news conference, he’s confident in his re-made defense no matter who is throwing passes against them.

“I think the last two weeks, they’ve really taken a giant step,” he said of Lou Anarumo’s defense. “They’ve got a ton of confidence in each other. I think each guy to a man has always had confidence in themself, and now that has spread over to the entirety of the unit.”

“I’m not saying it was missing,” he continued. “I’m just saying it’s really impressive to watch the energy they’re flying around with. They expect to dominate, and you hear about it when they do well. I like that in practice. That kind of ramps up the energy level a little bit. There’s just tremendous leadership amongst the veterans; there’s great energy amongst the young guys. That unit is in a really good place right now.”