Patriots shock Bengals, win 16-10 in Cincinnati

Welp, not sure many saw this one coming.

After a summer of questions about quarterbacks , and a training camp full of offensive line uncertainty , rookie head coach Jerod Mayo leads the Patriots to a wire-to-wire 16-10 win in Cincinnati, starting his career 1-0 at the helm.

The star of the game on Sunday was fourth-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran for 120 yards on 25 carries, punching in a touchdown during New England’s second series of the game on the first play of the second quarter. He also had three catches on three targets, but it was his legs that carried New England in Week 1.

“It feels good,” said Stevenson during his postgame press conference. “We were challenged all week. We were gonna run the ball, we were gonna control the line of scrimmage - I think we did a great job at that. And, you know, four minute offense came, they knew we were gonna run the ball, and we still ran it.”

Stevenson has been a steady force for this franchise since being drafted in the 4th round in 2021, and was rewarded for it this offseason as he signed a four-year, $36 million contract to remain with the Patriots through the 2028 season.

“I challenged Rhamondre in the spring,” said Mayo at the podium postgame. “I said, ‘Look, you don’t get a lot of love, a lot of hype,’ but I’ve always believed he’s one of the best running backs in the league.

“And, you know, when we signed him to the extension, there was no one more happy than me because I know what he’s capable of, and he showed that today. He can catch the ball out the backfield, he can run, break tackles, and do all those things. So he’s a great player.”

Whether paying running backs big money in 2024 is a good idea or not is a conversation for another day. For today, Patriots fans can focus on an opening weekend victory for a team that hasn’t done that since the 2020 season with Cam Newton under center.

Under center today was nine-year veteran Jacoby Brissett, who beat out number three overall pick Drake Maye for the starting quarterback job during training camp.

While conversation locally ran wild about this decision by Mayo and his offensive staff, it appeared - at least for one week - Mayo made the right decision for this offense.

Brissett was 15 of 24 for 121 yards, and scrambled seven times for an additional 32 yards on the ground. And while he wasn’t picked off, and was only sacked one time, Brissett took a beating throughout the game.

Pass blocking was a problem, and a pocket was hard to come by for the Patriots all game long. But Brissett was able to make plays with his legs to keep plays alive, and it was just enough to keep the Patriots out in front.

“It was awesome, man,” Brissett said of the win at the podium postgame. “You know, that’s a great team win right there. You know, in all three phases of the game, everybody stepped up when we needed them to step up.

“End of game, on the road, in victory formation, man - doesn’t get much better than that.”

Mayo was pumped for his starting QB, and spoke glowingly of his performance on Sunday.

“It was great,” said Mayo. “He made plays with his legs, he made plays with his arm. And, you know, he just played a - he’s a tough guy. You could tell he took some hits in the game, I’m just like, ‘Man, get up.’ But he did everything that we asked him to do in the week, and we came out of here with the victory.”

One of the biggest stories during training camp was veteran pass rusher Matthew Judon’s vocal displeasure with his contract situation, eventually leading to the four-time Pro Bowler being traded to the Falcons .

On Sunday, second-year defensive lineman Keion White more than made up for Judon’s permanent absence, recording 2.5 sacks on 4 tackles, owning the line of scrimmage the entire game.

“I just try to go fast,” White said at the podium postgame when asked about his performance. “I’m not the cleanest pass rusher, not the most, like, technical, but I try to just go fast and just let everything work out for itself.

“All the hard work we put in - the running, the conditioning, the hills. A lot of y’all see it. We’re working hard, and it’s starting to show because we had to dig deep today, even as a defense.”

At least after one week, it looks like we know why Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf was willing to part ways with Judon’s production, as White went out and had the best game of his young career.

Mayo has mentioned the importance of collaborating with Wolf throughout training camp, and clearly that wasn’t just lip service, as Mayo told the media postgame that he made sure to give Wolf a game ball after the win.

So after a summer of unrest for Patriot fans, staring at a 2024 schedule where the team was listed as an underdog for every contest on the 17-game slate, they get at least one week to hold their heads high and wear their Flying Elvis hats with pride.

“For the fans, you know hopefully they see what we’re trying to build,” said Mayo. “I talk about, ‘It takes time,’ and we’re still not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

The Patriots will look to move to 2-0 next Sunday as they host the Seattle Seahawks.