Bengals just received an answer to one of the biggest questions going into Patriots game

The Cincinnati Bengals now know which quarterback they'll face in Week 1.

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo revealed Thursday morning that veteran Jacoby Brissett will begin the season as New England's starting QB , making him the first passer the Bengals will face.

Brissett, originally a third-round pick by the Patriots back in 2016, returned to New England this offseason as a free agent. The Pats drafted Drake Maye several weeks later, and the two competed to be the starter over the course of the offseason. Mayo even admitted earlier this week that Maye had the edge.

"What I will say this is a true competition and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Mayo said on Monday.

Nevertheless, Mayo and the coaching staff are going with the veteran to begin the year, giving Maye more time to develop as the eventual starter. He officially made the decision internally earlier in the week .

The Bengals have faced off against a starting Brissett twice in his career. The most recent occurrence was two years ago when he was the Cleveland Browns' starter while Deshaun Watson was suspended in 2022. The Browns won that game handily, 32-13, and Brissett threw just five incompletions and averaged 12.6 yards per attempt.

That Browns squad, however, was much better than the team Brissett is now leading. The Patriots began their rebuild when Maye was drafted in April, and the weakest part of the team is the offensive line. In fact, sparing Maye from having to survive behind a terrible protection unit isn't the worst thing. That could be a reason why Brissett was given the nod in the first place.

Brissett is a veteran and the Bengals have much more tape on him than they do Maye. They've presumably been preparing for both quarterbacks, but now can focus on the experienced option and start game-planning how to beat him.

Related: Bengals address glaring need following roster cuts by signing 2024 draft pick to practice squad