The Patriots Spoil The Bengals’ Party

If nothing else, the New England Patriots will avoid a winless season. Head coach Jerod Mayo earned his first victory on his first Sunday as the Pats beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 16-10, and ruined the superior team's home opener.

The early-season Bengals always tend to come out flat—since 2020, they're 1-7 in Weeks 1 and 2—and they did the same against a rebuilding New England team. Even with receiver Ja'Marr Chase active, quarterback Joe Burrow was contained rather well by the Patriots' defense. In the second quarter, the Bengals were in the red zone and it looked like Burrow's pass to tight end Tanner Hudson would easily result in a touchdown, but New England safety Kyle Dugger punched out the ball and the Pats took possession, keeping Cincinnati shut out in the first half. Zack Moss scored the Bengals' only TD of the day, in the third quarter.

The Patriots' offense wasn't much better with QB Jacoby Brissett, who was 15-of-24 for 121 passing yards and 32 rushing yards, but crucially it didn't commit any big mistakes. Brissett knew when to throw and when to hit the ground or throw away the pass. The offense had no turnovers and ran the ball often. New England's slapdash offensive line, which looked to be a liability in the preseason, held up relatively well and allowed just one sack. Rhamondre Stevenson contributed almost as much offense as Brissett, with 25 rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The Pats kept the clock running and didn't lose the ball—two key ingredients to pull off an upset.

In all likelihood, the Patriots will still be a bad team in 2024, but a season-opening victory really helps with morale. Mayo, a rookie head coach, gets a statement win in Week 1 and is afforded more time to let rookie QB Drake Maye develop and learn. The schedule gets tougher by the end of September—Weeks 4-6 will be against three playoff teams from last season: the 49ers, Dolphins, and Texans—but there's a good opportunity for the Pats to slink into the mix of bad but forgettable teams, and avoid the toilet-soup tier that the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants currently inhabit. Did you see what happened to those suckers in Week 1? Sheesh.