Quick takeaways from Patriots’ surprising season-opening win over Bengals

A strong performance in the trenches, timely turnovers, and several contributors on defense paved the way for Jerod Mayo’s first win as head coach.

Reports of the 2024 Patriots’ demise might have been greatly exaggerated.

Despite entering a new season with low expectations, Jerod Mayo and the Patriots left Paycor Stadium with a hard-fought 16-10 win over the Bengals on Sunday — giving Mayo his first victory as head coach.

For all of the talk of New England staring at a lengthy rebuild in 2024 and beyond, a revamped roster punched Cincinnati in the mouth throughout Sunday’s game — orchestrating several promising drives with a ground-and-pound game while winning the turnover battle, 2-0.

Rhamondre Stevenson (120 yards) scored the lone Patriots touchdown of the afternoon, while Joey Slye connected on three field goals. Jacoby Brissett completed 15 of 24 passes for 121 yards.

New England’s defense — one of the few bright spots from last season — impressed against Joe Burrow and the Bengals, with the Patriots holding a 17-13 edge in first downs and a 290-224 advantage in total yards.

Here are some quick takeaways from New England’s encouraging Week 1 victory.

A strong start

Yes, it’s only Week 1 — but given the cellar-dwelling projections that most tabbed for New England this year, Sunday’s spirited result was a welcome sight.

During those long training-camp practices in July and early August, Mayo stressed that he wanted this Patriots team to develop a hard-nosed, punishing mindset capable of running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage.

His team clearly received the memo, with New England keeping the ball out of Burrow’s hands by moving the chains and punishing the Bengals in the trenches in the first half. With Brissett called upon to scramble or pick up yardage through the air when needed, New England’s offense wasn’t flashy … but effective.

As for the Patriots defense, new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and his grouping had their way against the Bengals for most of the afternoon — with a blend of established veterans (Jonathan Jones, Kyle Dugger) and youngsters (Christian Gonzalez, Keion White) leaving their fingerprints all over this win.

The Patriots may not have a high-flying offense this season, but if New England can be mistake-free and run the ball effectively — this team might surprise many, especially if this defense remains this stingy.

A gutsy finish

While New England dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half en route to a 10-0 lead, it was all but a given that a talented Bengals roster was due to punch back.

Sure enough, New England’s offense fell into a rut coming out of the half — with its three drives in the third quarter leading to just 10 total plays.

Meanwhile, Burrow and the Bengals started to gain consistent yardage against a Patriots defense that started to run on fumes — with Cincinnati making it a 13-7 game after Zack Moss ran into the end zone with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

With Cincy making it a one-score game and generating 31 plays over their last three drives, New England needed a proper response from Brissett and New England’s offense.

The veteran QB delivered in crunch time — orchestrating a 12-play, 52-yard drive (which included two third-down conversions) that ended with another Slye field goal and a 16-7 lead.

That drive gave New England some breathing room, with Bengals kicker Evan McPherson once again making it a one-score game with a 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals had a chance to take the lead with the ball on their own 10-yard line with 3:04 remaining, but New England’s defense responded by forcing Cincy into a 3-and-out. Stevenson iced the win with a pair of first-down pickups to give New England a hard-fought win.

A steady, but painful performance from Jacoby Brissett

No, Brissett may not have the arm strength that Drake Maye possesses.

But with New England letting their rookie QB marinate on the sideline, Brissett has the keys to the Patriots’ offense — with his spot atop the depth chart secure so long as he can continue to avoid mistakes and play a clean game.

The veteran aced his assignment on Sunday against Cincinnati. Even though New England’s run game was the primary focus, Brissett did what he needed to do to keep his team’s offense rolling at critical times — scrambling for several first downs while putting together a scoring drive in the fourth quarter to hold off a Bengals rally.

So long as Brissett plays like that, New England can continue to let Maye develop on his own timeline without running the risk of seeing their rookie get walloped during game action.

As solid as Brissett’s performance was, he still took a beating from Trey Hendrickson and the rest of the Bengals’ pass rush for most of the afternoon. While New England’s offensive line was not as disastrous as it was during preseason action, the left-tackle rotation of Chukwuma Okorafor and Vederian Lowe continues to raise concerns.

Winning the turnover battle

While New England largely kept the Bengals’ offense in check for most of the afternoon, the Patriots also benefited from recovering two fumbles that directly led to six points for Mayo’s team.

The Bengals — who were knocked for just two fumbles during the entire 2023 season — struggled to corral the ball at critical junctures of Sunday’s game, with Kyle Dugger taking a potential Cincy TD off the board in the second quarter.

After reeling in a pass from Burrow in the red zone, Tanner Hudson was seemingly set to stroll into the end zone before Dugger punched the ball out of his grasp. Marcus Jones recovered the ball to take six points off the board for the Bengals — while New England countered with a 12-play drive that ended with a Slye field goal.

New England’s special-teams unit generated another fumble in the second half, with long-snapper Joe Cardona knocking the ball loose from punt returner Charlie Jones — allowing Jaylinn Hawkins to recover it.

That second Bengals fumble allowed New England to take over on Cincy’s 24-yard line — leading to another Slye field goal. With New England’s offense not necessarily equipped to pile on points this year, the Patriots will need to consistently win the turnover battle in order to shift momentum in their favor.

Stevenson stars in run game

If Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots’ rushing attack can repeat Sunday’s performance moving forward, New England’s offense is poised to chew up plenty of game clock this upcoming season.

Alex Van Pelt’s run-heavy offensive scheme should benefit a talented back like Stevenson, who finished Sunday’s game with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown.

With Van Pelt and the Patriots occasionally rolling with six offensive linemen up front, New England executed a methodical, but effective, run game for extended stretches of Sunday’s game.

Sunday marked Stevenson’s first 100-yard game since Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2022 season. He could be in line for even more triple-digit performances in Van Pelt’s system.

Young stars, vets show out on defense

The Patriots traded Matt Judon last month and may not have Christian Barmore available the whole year, but New England’s defense still has several key playmakers in place.

While veterans like Dugger and Jonathan Jones (who stopped Andrei Iosivas on a 4th-and-2 situation in the third quarter) delivered momentum-shifting plays, New England’s crop of young studs also impressed in Week 1.

Second-year pro Keion White stepped as New England’s primary pass rusher with 2.5 sacks against Burrow, while Christian Gonzalez shadowed star wideout Ja’Marr Chase for most of the afternoon. Chase finished the game with six catches, but for just 62 yards.

LIVE UPDATES

3:52: Patriots win, 16-10. What a victory for Mayo and Co. .

3:47: And New England’s defense responds – forcing Cincy to go 3-and-out.

3:40: New England’s defense is going to need to step up one more time. Bengals starting on the 10-yard line — down six points and with three timeouts left. 3:04 left on the clock.

3:30: Bengals driving, but Keion White comes up with a clutch sack. McPherson does connect on a 51-yard field. 16-10 game with 6:14 left.

3:23: Joey Slye makes it a 16-7 game. A nice response from Brissett and the Patriots to eat up some clock and reel off a 12-play drive that gives them some breathing room.

3:18: A confusing challenge — Bengals challenge and win it, but Stevenson still held onto the ball. Patriots still have the ball, and Hooper reels in a catch down the field.

3:13: Brissett scrambles for a first down. New England needed that.

3:10: End Third: Patriots holding onto a 13-7 lead. New England’s offense needs to put together a drive here and give its defense a breather.

3:04: Zack Moss runs it in for five yards. It’s 13-7 Patriots with 1:10 left in the third. New England’s defense looked tired on that drive.

3:02: It looks like the Bengals fumbled for the third time today, but Burrow’s knee was down by the time Bentley punched it out.

2:53: Man, Brissett has taken a beating today.

2:48: Jonathan Jones with a huge play to tackle Andrei Iosivas on a 4th-and-2. Patriots defense taking over.

2:39: Patriots get another 3 points off that fumble recovery — with Slye connecting on a 35-yard attempt. 13-0 Patriots.

2:37: But New England gets the ball right back! Joe Cardona forces a fumble and the Patriots recover on the punt.

2:35: Patriots can’t execute the double-score. New England goes 3 and out.

2:28: Meanwhile, in Cleveland…

2:20: Patriots holding a 174-77 edge in yards gained so far in this game.

2:18: Joey Slye connects on a 32-yard field goal. Patriots take a 10-0 lead at the half.

2:17: Man, Brissett got crunched by Hill on that scramble. Need to protect that shoulder.

2:14: Ooooof, Brissett nearly throws a pick in the end zone. Henry seemed to break it up after Stone nearly grabbed it.

2:02: What a play. It looks like Tanner Hudson is going to stroll into the end zone, but Kyle Dugger punches the ball out and Marcus Jones recovers it. What looked like a Cincy TD turns into a turnover.

Bengals run a 13-play drive, but have nothing to show for it.

1:59: Actually, hold the phone — the TD is called back after the ball touched the ground before Gesicki could reel it in.

1:57: Mike Gesicki revenge game? The former Patriots TE snags a 15-yard TD off the throw from Burrow.

1:53: Rough sequence from Josh Uche. Lost the edge on a 12-yard pickup for Cincy, then jumps offsides.

1:50: The Bengals get their first first down of the day … at 10:26 left in the 2nd quarter.

1:39: Patriots defense continues to stand tall. Make that three straight 3-and-outs for the Bengals. White and Bentley team up for a sack on Burrow.

1:34: TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS. Stevenson runs it in from 3 yards out. Great blocking by rookie guard Layden Robinson.

A very strong start for the Patriots so far today. Defense has been strong, but offense has exceeded expectations. Not flashy, but they’re moving the ball. 14-play, 80-yard TD drive took 7:20 off the clock and kept the ball out of Burrow’s hands.

7-0 Patriots with 14:58 left in the first half.

1:30: End First: 0-0 game, but New England’s offense is rolling. Patriots have out-gained Bengals 107-17 on offense. Not sure many people expected that.

1:28: Some great awareness from Brissett to scramble for 16. Another first down for New England.

1:26: And now Lowe gets whistled for a false start. Some promising plays from this offense — but left tackle remains a major question mark.

1:25: Vederian Lowe now in for Okorafor at LT. Okorafor was getting torched by Hendrickson throughout this drive.

1:24: Hendrickson hits Brissett, but the QB stands in the pocket and converts on a third down throw to DeMario Douglas for 10 yards.

1:22: Brissett beats the pass rush again with a quick pass to Hooper, who gains 16 yards.

1:21: Nice play by Brissett to move the chains — avoids Hendrickson on the pass rush and scrambles for a first down.

1:18: A great open-field tackle by Marcus Jones to once again force a Cincy punt. Great start for New England’s defense.

1:15: Christian Gonzalez has been shadowing Ja’Marr Chase all over the field so far today. A daunting matchup right out of the gate for the CB1.

1:12: Patriots offense stalls out after Brissett can’t connect on a throw to Osborn. But Baringer pins Cincy at their own 11 with a great punt.

1:08: Nice start from Rhamondre Stevenson, who stiff-arms his way to a 14-yard pickup.

1:06: Strong start for the Patriots D. Bengals go 3 and out — with Keion White recording a strip sack. Beat Trent Brown clean, but the Bengals recovered.

1:04: Patriots get a flag on the first play of the game. Illegal formation on Dell Pettus.

1:03: The Patriots season is underway.

1:00: Patriots win the coin toss and defer.

12:38: Julian Edelman sends his support to QB1 Jacoby Brissett.

12:19: A look at the Patriots’ O-line. Michael Jordan slots in for Sow, while Onwenu slots over to RT.

12:18: With Maye on the sideline, Ja’Lynn Polk is the top rookie I’m keeping tabs on tonight.

12:06: Patriots warmups are underway:

11:59: Per Ian Rapoport on Drake Maye’s expected debut: “(The Patriots are) gonna make sure that the offensive line is good enough to put him out there, the skill position group, it’s all set for Maye to come in right away and have success. Probably going to be several weeks at least.”

11:55: Patriots inactives. Sow, as expected, will not play — along with rookie WR Javon Baker. Jabrill Peppers (hip) was a late addition to the injury list, but he will play.

The Patriots are likely going to depend heavily on Vederian Lowe, Chukwuma Okorafor and Caeden Wallace at tackle.

11:55: No Tee Higgins for Cincy.

11:51: Jerod Mayo and his staff take the field.

11:31: Bad news for the Patriots. Even though Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals have reportedly not agreed to a contract extension, it does seem like the star WR will play today. After limited participation in camp, one has to wonder how involved he will be in the gameplan today.

11:00: Happy football season, everyone!