This season could be an ugly one for the Patriots.

And we’ll have a much better idea by 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The Patriots face their first actual test Sunday since January, and that’s not just because it’s their first regular season game.

Through three preseason games, in an odd twist, the Patriots didn’t face any starters. The Panthers, Eagles and Commanders all rested starters against the Patriots in the preseason, meaning we really don’t know what to expect Sunday in Cincinnati.

We do know plenty about the Patriots after nearly seven weeks of training camp practices and preseason games.

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Let’s answer some questions in this week’s mailbag.

@IceFrog67
Hi, Doug. What’s the WR pecking order looking like? Do you expect the team to play in 11 personnel most of the time, or mix it up?

The Patriots currently have six wide receivers on their 53-man roster in Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Ja’Lynn Polk and Tyquan Thornton and two more on their practice squad in Matt Landers and Jalen Reagor.

Douglas (slot) and Thornton (X) are starters. Either Osborn or Polk will start at Z. I would give Polk a slight edge over Osborn, but both players have played in the top offense in recent practices. Then I’d go Boutte, then Baker.

That being said, I expect whoever starts in the “Z” spot between Osborn or Polk to be more productive than Thornton. Douglas might not be on the field every snap, but he’ll probably be the most productive out of the whole group.

And I do expect the Patriots to be in 11 personnel with three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end on the field for most snaps. They’ll mix it up at times by putting tight end Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper on the field at the same time. And we’ll likely see a jumbo set with two tight ends and a sixth offensive lineman. There hasn’t been much evidence that the Patriots plan to use running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson on the field at the same time, but Gibson does have experience at wide receiver and in the slot, so it’s possible.

@SoxPatsCsplswin
Do you see Javon baker or kayshon Boutte factoring in at all during week 1

No. I think one or both players will be inactive Week 1 against the Bengals.

Boutte was running with the third team for most of training camp but still made the roster. Baker was great at the beginning of camp and really tailed off. Maybe the Patriots develop a few players for Baker early this season, but he didn’t look particularly dependable by the end of the summer.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte #80 makes a catch over the head cornerback Isaiah Bolden #29 during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

@tonyc3896
Assuming C and RG are covered, who are candidates for other OL spots ? Who are top backups ? This will be helpful cuz they’re all no names!!

If anyone knows the answer to that question, the Patriots might have a role on staff for you.

But honestly, here’s what we saw last week in practice:

LT Chukwuma Okorafor
LG Nick Leverett
C David Andrews
RG Layden Robinson
RT Mike Onwenu

Left tackle Vederian Lowe and left guard Sidy Sow did not practice due to injuries suffered at the end of the summer.

If Sow returns, then he would simply replace Leverett at left guard.

If Lowe returns, then I could see Lowe at left tackle, Robinson at left guard, Andrews at center, Onwenu at right guard and Okorafor at right tackle.

If both Sow and Lowe return, then we could see Lowe at left tackle, Sow at left guard, Andrews at center, Onwenu at right guard and Okorafor at right tackle.

Robinson and Leverett appear to be the top backups on the interior offensive line. Caedan Wallace is the top backup at tackle. Waiver claims Demontrey Jacobs and Zachary Thomas are also on the roster. Jacobs is a tackle. Thomas has played tackle and guard.

@MickGaskin10
Mike Owenu to left tackle?

That has not been part of the Patriots’ plans. So, that would be shocking at this point.

@RickLawsonEP
Does it make sense to put Wallace at RT with Onwenu at RG or put him at LT and let him develop with Onwenu at RT and Robinson at RG?

I think Wallace’s brightest future is at right tackle, where he could be a starter. He could see some snaps at left tackle this season, but in an ideal world, the Patriots find their starting left tackle next offseason and have Wallace locked in as the future at right tackle.

Caedan Wallace #70 of the New England Patriots during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

@hambino78
Imagine a season where the Pats are 8-8 with a chance to make the playoffs if they win in Week 18. What has gone right?

That would probably take a lot of injuries around the rest of the NFL.

But looking purely at the Patriots, Maye would have to play nearly as well as C.J. Stroud, which means the offensive line would have to outperform all expectations, and Polk and Douglas would have to have stellar seasons. Plus, the defense would have to at least play up to expectations.

@JRS_NH
Over or under 3.5 wins?

Over. I have the Patriots finishing 4-13.

@ArtyMcFlyyy
Thoughts on CB coverage vs. Bengals? Who’s lining up against who?

Assuming Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase plays, I’d put Jonathan Jones on Chase with help, Christian Gonzalez on Tee Higgins and Marcus Jones on the third receiver, whether that’s Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin or Mike Gesicki.

@TuckerRossCon
Evrn though he doesn’t have much value, do you think Marte Mapu eventually gets traded & if not what is his role on the team?

Marte Mapu could eventually get traded, but I don’t expect that this season.

Mapu will miss four games on injured reserve. Then I expect him to be a backup strong safety behind Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.

He could also play linebacker on third downs.

@MrEd315
What letter grade would you give so far to Pats management on constructing this year’s team?

I might be generous, but I’d give it a C+ so far.

Ultimately, I think they’re aware that this will not be an overly successful season and that they still have gaps to fill next offseason. They tried to sign Calvin Ridley and trade for Brandon Aiyuk. They just didn’t want to play for the Patriots.

They did a nice job re-signing their own players and acquiring a third-round pick trading Matthew Judon to the Falcons.

They needed to do more to help the offensive line, however, especially with a rookie quarterback.

No offense to Lowe. He’s a really nice guy, and maybe he makes a major jump this season. But after how poorly Lowe played in 2023, he really can’t be your top option to start at left tackle a year later. The Patriots re-signed Onwenu and then took risks by signing Okorafor and selecting Wallace and hoping they could play left tackle. The fact that – when every offensive lineman was healthy – Lowe was locked in at left tackle is evidence that they still prefer both Okorafor and Wallace on the right side.

@Kid_From_Quincy
Who will be the Patriots best offensive and defensive player this year?

Best offensive player: DeMario Douglas

Best defensive player: Christian Gonzalez

@MRyan_10
With a top 5 pick next year are you taking Will Campbell or Tetairoa McMillian.

Will Campbell. The Patriots need a left tackle. Nothing is more important next offseason.

Tetairoa McMillan is ridiculous, though. As a Washington Huskies fan, I really wish he had followed Jedd Fisch from Arizona to Washington. He’s not Randy Moss, because no one is Randy Moss. But there was some Randy Moss to his game Saturday when he caught 10 passes for 304 yards with four touchdowns against New Mexico.

@DavidHillCPA
How bad would Jacoby have to play in order to give Drake a chance to play? If the Pats are playing .500 I imagine they won’t let him play. If we are completely winless he gets a chance. What do you think?

I don’t know how much it has to do with Jacoby Brissett’s performance. I think Drake Maye probably plays pretty soon.

In the unlikely scenario that Brissett is absolutely perfect, then sure, maybe he sticks as the starter.

But if the Patriots believe the infrastructure is in place offensively to start Maye, and if he they believe he’ll be a better option than Brissett, then I expect him to play.

As one source put it, given how well Maye has played, it’s “when” not “if” Maye replaces Brissett. That sounds like it could happy pretty early in the season.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws as the Patriots take practice at Gillette on Aug. 22. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

@ted_mcgregor
We have heard all summer about the offensive line being the major Achilles heel to the team. How many pieces are they actually missing and how much of this is just a coaching issue?

I would say that the Patriots currently have two clearly starting-caliber players on their offensive line in Onwenu and Andrews. The other three spots are unproven or could be improved upon.

And Andrews is 32 and will be in a contract year next season.

@Charlie3Pina
Who do you believe will be the Patriots Breakout Player this season??..

Gonzalez.

@RickLawsonEP
More statement than question. If Maye was named the starter and the team struggled it would be more detrimental to his development than letting him sit and learn for a bit. The team has too many issues on offense to address before throwing him out there.

Yes, I agree.

@SeanMcL45832660
What type of season for the pats to have to for the krafts to wake up and realize that Mayo is a mistake and fire him and can someone tell Bob the uniforms suck since u changed them the team has sucked

Wow, Sean’s coming in hot.

I understand some of the messaging from Mayo has been inconsistent. Let’s also remember that he’s replacing the foremost expert in handling the media, Bill Belichick. If the Patriots had shuffled through seven head coaches in the past 24 years, we might be making less of Mayo’s media miscues.

But also, let’s wait until we see the product on the field before we judge Mayo or the new coaching staff. I don’t know if we should really be coming to any conclusions on a staff based on how well they answer questions about a quarterback competition.

And for the record, I think the Patriots are making the right choice by sitting Maye to start the season, as long as they still plan on playing him this year. It’s the smart, conservative approach.