Bengals have issues beyond Ja'Marr Chase's holdout in dud of a season opener

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ja'Marr Chase's holdout and limited preseason practice time were hardly the only issues for the Cincinnati Bengals in their dud of a season opener.

Chase took the field Sunday against the New England Patriots after leaving everyone guessing about whether he would. The star receiver missed all of training camp while pursuing a lucrative contract extension.

But turnovers and poor tackling were just as responsible for the Bengals' 16-10 loss to the Patriots, their latest poor start to a season under coach Zac Taylor.

“I felt ready enough,” said Chase, who had six catches for 62 yards. "Just wish we had more opportunities to make plays. Turnovers and we’ve got to get first downs and move the ball. We just have to forget about it and move on to next week.”

With a game at Super Bowl champion Kansas City up next, the Bengals face the possibility of starting 0-2 for a third straight season.

Taylor, in his sixth season, started 0-11 in his first year, a rebuilding season the year before drafting Joe Burrow No. 1 overall. The Bengals' best two-game start under Taylor is 1-1.

The Bengals allowed 170 yards on the ground and had two critical fumbles Sunday. Burrow is fully healthy but finished an underwhelming 21 of 29 for 164 yards. He was sacked three times.

Cincinnati had the ball with a chance to tie or win the game with 3:04 remaining but failed to get a first down and elected to punt with three timeouts left. The Patriots got two first downs to run out the clock.

“I missed Ja’Marr on the first play, I missed Zack (Moss) on the check-down on the second play, then they got us playing a coverage I didn’t expect on third down," Burrow said. "Not my best drive. Not our best day. I just have to watch the tape.”

Burrow said he learned on Sunday that Chase was going to play after the star receiver recovered from a case of food poisoning earlier in the week.

Chase's longest reception went for 28 yards. Burrow said the lack of deep targets to Chase didn't have as much to do with their lack of time together in camp and more to do with the Patriots' defensive scheme.

“They were taking it away,” Burrow said. “They did a good job. They had a good plan. I was just taking what they gave me. We will watch the tape and see if we had some other opportunities to get the ball down the field.”

Last season, the Bengals didn’t play their starters in any preseason games. This year, Burrow and the first-team offense played one series in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. Such an approach isn't unusual, but the Bengals also had to deal with the distraction surrounding Chase's desire for an extension, which still hasn't been resolved.

“I will leave his business to him,” Burrow said. “It was great to have him out there. I thought he played well.”

More salient to the Bengals' loss were fumbles by receiver Charlie Jones and tight end Tanner Hudson who had the ball stripped near the goal line. Chase was flagged for illegal substitution when he failed to leave the field in time before a punt.

“There was execution in a lot of areas that certainly was good enough to win,” Taylor said. "It’s not because we don’t have the talent, or anything else like that. We lost the turnover battle and we didn’t tackle.”

It’s rare for a team to start 0-2 and reach the playoffs. The Bengals started the 2022 season with two straight losses, then won the AFC North title before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game. Cincinnati hopes to avoid digging another hole.

“The good thing is we have 16 games left to play,” Taylor said. "Starting 0-1 certainly is not a hole we want to be in, but I feel good about how this team will improve.”

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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is tackled by New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs from New England Patriots linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (8) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. The Patriots won 16-10. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. The Patriots won 16-10. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) is tackled by New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) after catching a pass during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The last time Khadija Ahidid saw her son, he came to breakfast in 2021 looking “homeless” with big hair so she offered to give him $20 so he could go get a shave or a haircut that day. Hours later, he shot and killed 10 people at a supermarket in the college town of Boulder.

She saw Ahmad Alissa for the first time since then during his murder trial on Monday, saying repeatedly that her son, who was diagnosed after the shooting with schizophrenia, was sick. When one of Alissa’s lawyers, Kathryn Herold, was introducing her to the jury, Herold asked how she knew Alissa. Ahidid responded “How can I know him? He is sick,” she said through an Arabic interpreter in her first public comments about her son and the shooting.

Alissa, who emigrated from Syria with his family as a child, began acting strangely in 2019, believing he was being followed by the FBI, talking to himself and isolating from the rest of the family, Ahidid said. His condition declined after he got Covid several months before the shooting, she said, adding he also became “fat” and stopped showering as much.

There was no record of Alissa being treated for mental illness before the shooting. After the shooting, his family later reported that he had been acting in strange ways, like breaking a car key fob and putting tape over a laptop camera because he thought the devices were being used to track him. Some relatives thought he could be possessed by an evil spirit, or djinn, according to the defense.

No one, including Alissa’s lawyers, disputes he was the shooter. Alissa has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting. The defense says he should be found not guilty because he was legally insane and not able to tell the difference between right and wrong at the time of the shooting.

Prosecutors and forensic psychologists who evaluated him for the court say that, while mentally ill, Alissa knew what he was doing when he launched the attack. They point to the planning and research he did to prepare for it and his fear that he could end up in jail afterward to show that Alissa knew what he was doing was wrong.

Alissa mostly looked down as his mother testified and photographs of him as a happy toddler and a teenager at the beach were shown on screen. There was no obvious exchange between mother and son in court but Alissa dabbed his eyes with a tissue after she left.

The psychiatrist in charge of Alissa's treatment at the state mental hospital testified earlier in the day that Alissa refused to accept visitors during his over two year stay there.

When questioned by District Attorney Michael Dougherty, Ahidid said her son did not tell her what he was planning to do the day of the shooting.

She said she thought a large package containing a rifle that Alissa came home with shortly before the shooting may have been a piano.

“I swear to God we didn’t know what was inside that package,” she said.

Dougherty pointed out that she had told investigators soon after the shooting that she thought it could be a violin.

After being reminded of a previous statement to police, Ahidid acknowledged that she had heard a banging sound in the house and one of her other sons said that Alissa had a gun that had jammed. Alissa said he would return it, she testified.

She indicated that no one in the extended family that lived together in the home followed up to make sure, saying “everyone has their own job.”

“No one is free for anyone,” she said.

FILE - Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in March 2021, is led into a courtroom for a hearing, Sept. 7, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, Pool, File)