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The New England Patriots started the Jerod Mayo era in impressive fashion. New England traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals as heavy underdogs. However, the Patriots pulled off the upset and achieved a victory that a rookie head coach has not accomplished in more than 30 years.
Jerod Mayo became the first head coach in Patriots history since 1991 to win their rookie coaching debut. Dick MacPherson was the last to accomplish the feat.
The celebration in New England's locker room was special. So special that team owner Robert Kraft came downstairs to join in on the fun. Kraft even gave Mayo a game ball after the victory.
Mayo said it left a big impression on him.
“It was special. I'm just appreciative of the opportunity,” Mayo said per ESPN, adding that he presented a game ball to executive director of player personnel Eliot Wolf for his first win in the role. “My message to the players was without them, I'm nothing. I made sure they knew that. All the praise goes to those guys.”
Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett was thrilled to see his head coach honored after the upset victory.
“He was ecstatic, elated, overjoyed. He should be. It's his first one,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett said of Mayo. “He got us ready to go — not only this week but going back to [the spring]. … Nobody believed in us, but he kept preaching that ‘the people are the ones that matter' and that came to fruition.”
Next up for the Patriots is a winnable home game against the Seahawks in Week 2.
Recapping the Patriots' shocking upset of the Bengals in Week 1
The New England Patriots ruined the home opener for the Cincinnati Bengals with a shocking 16-10 upset.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson stole the show for the Patriots. Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort, aided by three field goals to make up the rest of the team's scoring.
Stevenson may have been the main attraction, but QB Jacoby Brissett played some solid football. Brissett held onto the ball and managed the game well enough for the Patriots to outlast the Bengals, who attempted a late comeback.
“He was great,” Mayo said on Brissett, via ESPN. “[Brissett] made plays with his arm, he made plays with his legs. He’s a tough guy. He took some hits in the game, and I’m just like, ‘Man, get up.’ He did everything we asked him to.”
Cincinnati played poorly throughout most of the game and had a handful of turnovers and mistakes. Mike Gesicki had a touchdown overturned on review and Tanner Hudson was stripped near the end zone by Kyle Dugger. The Bengals could not recover from these unforced errors.
Cincinnati got the ball back with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter and a chance to win the game. However, they could not even manage a first down and elected to punt. They never saw the ball again as Rhamondre Stevenson drained the clock.
The Bengals better get on track in a hurry as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in Week 2.
