Bowling and building await Patriots after Week 1 win

After a 34-13 season-opening win over the Titans in Tennessee, the Patriots turn their attention to the Arizona Cardinals, who'll come to Foxborough next Sunday afternoon -- but before the focus shifts entirely to that next foe at practice on Wednesday, the Pats will spend their energy looking to make a difference away from the field.

Monday night a number of his teammates will join linebacker Jerod Mayo at Kings in Dedham for his third annual Mayo Bowl tournament, then the next afternoon tight end Rob Gronkowski will lead a cadre of players to Worcester to help in the construction of a playground, both of which are charitable endeavors aimed at improving the lives of kids.

Fresh off a 13-tackle afternoon in Nashville, Mayo will host his event to benefit Pitching in For Kids and the Boston Medical Center, the same charities for which his event raised more than $100,000 last year. And the defensive captain is hardly alone in his efforts. Each of the first two years his fellow Patriots have turned out by the dozen to support him and his cause, and this year is expected to be no different given the star-studded roster planning to attend. According to a publicist for Kings, Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Brandon Lloyd, Logan Mankins, Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, Devin McCourty, Vince Wilfork, and soon-to-be Patriots hall of famer Troy Brown have all said they’ll be at the Legacy Place lanes for the tournament that starts at 7:15. The athletes and celebrities will start arriving on the red carpet at 6 p.m.

The next day a number of the same Patriots will join more than 200 volunteers at Plumley Village in Worcester to build a playground based on plans drawn by children. It’s one of 150 such constructions the non-profit KaBOOM! will lead nationally this year, and the eighth built in conjunction with UnitedHealthCare.

The construction begins just after 8:30, with the Patriots arriving to add their assistance in the early afternoon. In addition to Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Nate Solder, Zoltan Mesko, and Kyle Arrington are also among those expected to lend a hand in assembling the equipment and helping to move 43,740 square feet of safety surfacing.

Then it’s back to the business of football, and figuring out how to beat the Cardinals.