3 Bengals to blame for embarrassing loss to Patriots in Week 1

There's plenty of blame to go around following the Cincinnati Bengals' 16-10 seaon-opening loss to the New England Patriots. The Bengals were heavily favored to win the game, which took place in Cincinnati, but they were only able to muster a single touchdown. That's pretty embarrassing for an offense that's supposed to be very potent.

The defense struggled too. Even though the unit only surrendered 16 points, it allowed 170 rushing yards that lead to consistent, sustained drives. More talented teams probably would have scored much more.

While it's tough to pinpoint a few specific people to blame for the loss, we'll try our best. Here's a look at three Bengals to blame for the Week 1 loss to New England.

3 Bengals to blame for Week 1 loss to Patriots

Zac Taylor, Head coach

After a loss like that, you have to start with the head coach. The Bengals didn't look properly prepared or motivated for the game on either side of the ball, and that has become a trend under Taylor. Cincinnati is just 1-5 in season openers during his tenure, and the team is simply too talented to consistently stumble coming out of the gate. Perhaps playing the starters a bit more during the preseason is a possible solution.

Cincinnati's offense looked pretty vanilla against New England, and the defense still struggled despite making major upgrades over the offseason. And this was against a Patriots team that isn't supposed to be anything special on either side of the ball. Taylor will need to do a much better job getting his guys ready to go moving forward, or it could end up being a long season for the Bengals, and not in a good way.

Tanner Hudson, Tight end

The outcome of a game is never determined by a single play, but some plays can prove especially costly, and tight end Tanner Hudson made an extremely costly error in the first half of the game when he fumbled the ball on the goal line.

Instead of tying up the game at 7-7, Cincinnati lost the ball and the Patriots were able to turn the turnover into three points to extend their lead to 10-0 before halftime. After the game, Hudson accepted his fair share of blame for the loss.

“Everybody knows it’s on me. I know it’s on me,” Hudson said. “You try to do your best to forget about it and make a play next time you get the chance."

The fumble cost the Bengals, and if could end up costing Hudson, who needs to maximize his on-field opportunities if he wants to continue to get them.

Charlie Jones, Wide receiver

Charlie Jones' best chance to make a positive impact on the Bengals this season will likely be through special teams as a return man, but he won't be in that role for too long if he continues make mistakes like when he fumbled a punt return early in the second half against the Patriots.

The Bengals had some momentum at that point after forcing a punt out of the halftime locker room, but it dissipated with that fumble. On top of the fumble, Jones averaged just a pedestrian 5.5 yards per return on his four returns and caught just one pass for five yards. It was a forgettable performance for Jones, and one that likely won't help him earn more playing time.